Implant Suit Back in Play

A Federal appeals court has reinstated a patent infringement lawsuit against Cochlear that was dismissed by a lower court. The Alfred E. Mann Foundation for Scientific Research lawsuit says the company improperly used its cochlear implant patented technology. Cochlear had argued that the Foundation had no right to sue because it had licensed its patents to another implant maker, Advanced Bionics. Cochlear said only Advanced Bionics could go to court over the issue. While a district court agreed with Cochlear, a federal appeals court in Washington sided with the Foundation.