A Davie medical device manufacturer has filed a lawsuit against one of its chief rivals, a British firm in the same field, alleging that the company has infringed on its patents.
Mako Surgical Corp. makes a surgical robot that is used in hip and knee replacement surgeries. In its lawsuit against Stanmore Implants Worldwide, it alleges that Stanmore used information developed by Mako in creating its Stanmore Sculptor Robotic Guidance Arm.
Stanmore’s Sculptor Robotic Guidance Arm competes directly with Mako’s Robotic Arm Interactive Orthopedic device.
Mako’s device was the first of its kind to win FDA approval, meaning Mako had cornered the market for a time. Then, in February 2011, the FDA gave its approval to Stanmore’s device and for the first time, Mako had competition.
Mako’s device is one of the medical device industry’s best sellers, but its 2012 sales were below expectations, perhaps because Stanmore’s device was no available for use. That may be part of what has spurred Mako into action.
Mako has proved it is not afraid to act to protect its intellectual property assets. In an earlier lawsuit, it sued a technology company on the belief that it had improperly taken Marko’s trade secrets and confidential client data.
Because we often work with business owners, we understand how difficult it can be to gain (and keep) and edge over your competitors. Intellectual property protections, like patents and trademarks, are an indispensable way to make sure that you and you alone profit from your innovations. When there is legitimate and well-founded concern that properly secured material or information is being unlawfully used , prudent business owners do not hesitate to exercise their legal rights.
Source: The South Florida Business Journal, “Mako Surgical files patent infringement lawsuits against rival Stanmore,” Brian Bandell, March 19, 2013
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