Persistence has paid off for Siemens Healthcare of Malvern, PA, in a patent lawsuit over PET/CT crystal technology.
The company was awarded $52.3 million by a jury in the U.S. District Court of Delaware in its patent infringement case against Saint-Gobain Ceramics & Plastics of Newbury, OH, a division of Cie. de Saint-Gobain of France.
Siemens, which initially filed the lawsuit in April 2007, alleged that Saint-Gobain had violated patent rights by selling lutetium oxyorthosilicate (LSO) crystal technology to Philips Healthcare for the Andover, MA-based company's PET/CT scanners.
The jury verdict is somewhat of a reversal of fortune for Siemens. In January, Bloomberg News reported that Judge Sue L. Robinson denied Siemens' request for an injunction halting Saint-Gobain sales, ruling that while Siemens eventually may demonstrate that Saint-Gobain infringed on its patent, the evidence currently "does not weigh predominantly in [Siemens'] favor."
According to Bloomberg News, the federal jury of six women and two men deliberated about five hours in Wilmington before reaching its verdict in Siemens' favor. The panel also concluded that Saint-Gobain's infringement wasn't intentional.
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Calypso, Siemens join forces, September 22, 2008
Siemens loses first round in Saint-Gobain suit, January 14, 2008
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