In the News

Medtronic Inc. Awarded $57 Millionin Patent Infringement Lawsuit

-- Patents Developed by SMRA Form Basis for Damages and Royalties Through 2018 --

Patents prosecuted by Sheldon Mak Rose & Anderson for its client Medtronic served as the foundation for $57 million awarded by a federal jury in a patent infringement lawsuit brought by Medtronic against another medical device manufacturer. In addition to the damage award, the judgment also included an 11 percent royalty on U.S. sales of products using Medtronic patents through 2018.

"We're proud of the quality of the patents and claims we prosecuted for Medtronic," said shareholder Jeffrey G. Sheldon, a registered patent attorney who co-founded the firm more than 25 years ago. "The jury's decision underscores the accuracy, skill and expertise incorporated into our patents. To have prosecuted these patents based on technology developed in the 1990's, and to have those patents form the basis for such a large award, as well as compensation through 2018, is indicative of the level of work our firm is best known for."

The patents involved claims for self-expanding medical devices using stress to restrain a metal alloy that expands upon being released from a restraint. The novel invention enables doctors to treat damaged or diseased heart valves with a less invasive transcatheter heart valve procedure.