With a July trial looming in the ongoing “stent wars” between Johnson and Johnson affiliate Cordis and Boston Scientific, Judge Robinson recently granted summary judgment of non-infringement to Boston Scientific. Cordis Corp. v. Boston Scientific Corp., C.A. No. 10-39-SLR (D. Del. June 19, 2012).
The Court construed the claim terms in question in accordance a previous finding that Boston Scientific did not infringe related patents with similar claim terms, which was affirmed by the Federal Circuit. The Court then granted Boston Scientific’s motion for summary judgment on the grounds that Cordis could not “show that the . . . stent meets the ‘undulating’ or ‘circumferentially extending turn back portion’ limitations of the asserted patents” under a construction consistent with the Federal Circuit’s opinion. Id. at 26.
Boston Scientific also moved for summary judgment that Cordis’s patent rights were exhausted because Cordis licensed the use of its patents to Abbott Laboratories, and Abbott’s subsequent sales of stents to Boston Scientific for resale were authorized. Resolution of this issue depended on interpretation of the terms “merger” and “consolidation” in the license agreement between Cordis and Abbott, which provided that Cordis could terminate the license if Abbott was involved in a merger or consolidation with a “major competitor.” Abbott subsequently acquired ACS, a division of Guidant. Although ACS was a major competitor under the license agreement, the Court applied the Delaware statutory definition of the terms “merger” and “consolidation” and found that no such merger or consolidation had occurred between Abbott and ACS. Id. at 17. The Court, therefore, also granted Boston Scientific’s motion for summary judgment on the grounds of patent exhaustion, finding that Abbott’s rights to the patents had not been extinguished and Abbott was authorized to sell the stents to Boston Scientific.
Cordis Corp. v. Boston Scientific Corp., C.A. No. 10-39-SLR (D. Del. June 19, 2012).
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