Medtronic v. Surgical Dynamics
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee issues a preliminary ruling that Surgical Dynamics' method for implanting its Ray TFC spinal fusion cage infringes Medtronic Sofamor Danek's U.S. patent no. 5,741,253, according to an Aug. 16 release. The companies will proceed to trial in September to determine whether the patent is valid. Medtronic also is pursuing separate patent litigation against OsteoTech's Bio-d cortical bone dowel in conjunction with the University of Florida Tissue Bank and Regeneration Technologies in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida. Separately, Palatine, Illinois physician Jerry Kreamer has filed suit against Medtronic for alleged patent infringement by the firm's AneuRx stent graft system. The suit seeks damages and royalties in excess of $45 mil., according to an Aug. 16 release