In May, a Huntsville, Alabama jury found that an innovative product developed by Goodwin Procter client Epocal does not infringe patents owned by Abbott Point of Care (“APOC”).
APOC claimed that Epocal infringed three patents for point-of-care blood tests, systems that allow a physician to complete diagnostic blood work at a patient's bedside rather than wait for a lab to process results.
In addition to the patent claims, APOC had contended that Epocal’s employment of five former APOC employees tortiously interfered with Abbott’s non-compete agreements with those employees. After six-and-a-half days of trial, the nine-person jury returned a unanimous verdict in Epocal’s favor on all counts.
Epocal is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada. Led by its CEO, Imants Lauks, Epocal has created a new generation of devices for rapid whole blood diagnostic testing at the patient’s bedside using small amounts of blood (“point-of-care testing” or “POCT”). Epocal’s POCT devices can test a number of blood components, including oxygen content, and are widely used in critical care treatment, operating rooms and emergency medicine, where quick and reliable results are essential to patient care.
The Goodwin trial team in Alabama included partners Tony Downs and Daryl Wiesen.
To read the Law360 article on Abbott Point of Care Inc. v. Epocal Inc., please click here.