Mike Barbella08.26.08
A California-based medical device company has announced that Medtronic’s spine division is suing it for patent infringement.
NuVasive, a San Diego, CA-based firm that makes medical products for the surgical treatment of spine disorders, said that Memphis, TN-based Medtronic Sofamor Danek, a wholly owned subsidiary of Fridley, MN-based Medtronic, brought the lawsuit.
Marybeth Thorsgaard, a Medtronic spokeswoman, confirmed the lawsuit in an e-mail that stated that its subsidiary is accusing NuVasive of patent infringement across four product categories and 12 patents.
The e-mail added that Medtronic has made no formal announcement about the lawsuit.
In a press release, Alex Lukianov, NuVasive’s chairman and CEO, said: “It is not surprising that Medtronic would attempt to intimidate NuVasive with this suit, since NuVasive represents a growing threat to Medtronic’s spine business. Medtronic did not notify us of the lawsuit prior to filing it, and has not been in contact with us yet.”
Thorsgaard said that Medtronic spends a lot of money developing its intellectual property. “Medtronic respects the patents of others and expects others to respect Medtronic’s patents,” she wrote in the e-mail.
Medtronic has had a contentious history with NuVasive: They’ve wrangled in the past over NuVasive hiring former Medtronic employees.
SOURCE: Finance and Commerce
NuVasive, a San Diego, CA-based firm that makes medical products for the surgical treatment of spine disorders, said that Memphis, TN-based Medtronic Sofamor Danek, a wholly owned subsidiary of Fridley, MN-based Medtronic, brought the lawsuit.
Marybeth Thorsgaard, a Medtronic spokeswoman, confirmed the lawsuit in an e-mail that stated that its subsidiary is accusing NuVasive of patent infringement across four product categories and 12 patents.
The e-mail added that Medtronic has made no formal announcement about the lawsuit.
In a press release, Alex Lukianov, NuVasive’s chairman and CEO, said: “It is not surprising that Medtronic would attempt to intimidate NuVasive with this suit, since NuVasive represents a growing threat to Medtronic’s spine business. Medtronic did not notify us of the lawsuit prior to filing it, and has not been in contact with us yet.”
Thorsgaard said that Medtronic spends a lot of money developing its intellectual property. “Medtronic respects the patents of others and expects others to respect Medtronic’s patents,” she wrote in the e-mail.
Medtronic has had a contentious history with NuVasive: They’ve wrangled in the past over NuVasive hiring former Medtronic employees.
SOURCE: Finance and Commerce