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Product category: Manufacturing industry news
News Release from: Cognex UK
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial Team on 03 February 2004

Cognex wins case over alleged patents
infringement

Note: A free brochure or catalogue is available from Cognex UK about its services. Click here to request a copy.

Cognex Corporation has announced that Chief Judge Philip Pro, Las Vegas has ruled in favor of Cognex in its lawsuit against the Lemelson Medical, Education and Research Foundation.

Cognex Corporation, the world's leading supplier of machine vision systems, has announced that Chief Judge Philip Pro of the U.S District Court in Las Vegas has ruled in favor of Cognex in its lawsuit against the Lemelson Medical, Education and Research Foundation, Limited Partnership

Judge Pro held that the claims of 14 patents asserted by the Lemelson Partnership are invalid and unenforceable, and not infringed by Cognex.

Cognex filed suit against the Lemelson Partnership in September of 1998, seeking a declaration that certain patents issued to Lemelson that purportedly cover machine vision are invalid, unenforceable, and not infringed by either Cognex or users of Cognex products.

In 2000, the Court combined Cognex's lawsuit with a similar suit against the Lemelson Partnership (filed at a later date) by Symbol Technologies and seven other manufacturers of bar code readers.

The case was tried in the U.S.

District Court in Las Vegas from November 18, 2002 to January 17, 2003.

Post-trial briefs were submitted to the Court on June 26, 2003.

In summarizing his 30-page decision, which was issued late Friday, Judge Pro wrote, "Having concluded that Lemelson's patent claims are unenforceable under the equitable doctrine of prosecution laches; that the asserted patent claims as construed by the Court are not infringed by Cognex because use of the accused products does not satisfy one or more of the limitations of each and every asserted claim; and that the claims are invalid for lack of written description and enablement even if construed in the manner urged by Lemelson, the Court finds that Judgment should be entered in favor of Plaintiffs." The complete text of Judge Pro's decision can be found on Cognex's web site. Request free introductory details about products from Cognex UK ...

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