Del. Judge Rules In Pacemaker Patent Dispute
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) -- A federal judge in Delaware has ruled that certain heart pacemakers sold by Medtronic Inc. do not infringe patents claimed by rival medical device manufacturer Boston Scientific Corp.
Ruling in a long-running dispute between the two companies, the judge granted a request by Minneapolis-based Medtronic for a ruling that certain implantable heart stimulators it makes do not infringe Boston Scientific patents.
But at the same time, the judge denied Medtronic's request for a declaration that the patents claimed by Massachusetts-based Boston Scientific are invalid and unenforceable.
The patents involve specialized pacemakers capable of stimulating both ventricles of the heart to help increase its ability to pump blood.
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