Millipore Sues W.L. Gore & Associates For Patent Infringement
Millipore Corporation, a leading provider of technologies, tools and services for the global life science industry, has filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts against W.L. Gore & Associates for infringement of Millipore's patent rights under U.S. Patent No. 7,293,477, "Disposable, Pre-Sterilized Fluid Receptacle Sampling Device," by selling one or more of its STA-PURE samplers.
W.L. Gore's product competes with components of Millipore's NovaSeptum sampling system for the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries. The NovaSeptum sampling system is a sterile, disposable, completely enclosed sampling system for aseptic and sterile processes. Sampling is critical for biopharmaceuticals; an imprecise or false positive result can lead to batch loss and may also require repeat sampling and analysis at additional costs.
"This filing reflects our intention to vigorously defend our intellectual property, which is a fundamental component of the innovation we provide to our customers," says Jean-Paul Mangeolle, President of Millipore's Bioprocess Division.
According to Roland Heinrich, Vice President of Millipore's Process Monitoring Tools, "Millipore's NovaSeptum sampling system has broad industry acceptance. With our strong patent position, I am confident we will remain an industry pioneer in sampling systems."
In 2007, Millipore Corporation successfully asserted its U.S. Patent No. 6,779,575 in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey against acts of infringement by Amesil, Inc., and obtained a consent judgment issued by the Court against Amesil. The subject of that lawsuit was also a product that competed with components of Millipore's NovaSeptum sampling system. Amesil was acquired by W.L. Gore in 2007.
About Millipore
Millipore is a Life Science leader providing cutting-edge technologies, tools, and services for bioscience research and biopharmaceutical manufacturing. As a strategic partner, we collaborate with customers to confront the world's challenging human health issues. From research to development to production, our scientific expertise and innovative solutions help customers tackle their most complex problems and achieve their goals. Millipore Corporation is an S&P 500 company with more than 5,900 employees worldwide. For more information, visit www.millipore.com.
SOURCE: Millipore Corporation