Ciba Vision-Coopervision: Settlement In Contact Lenses Patent Suit

Ciba Vision Corporation announced that it has reached a settlement agreement terminating its patent infringement lawsuits pending against CooperVision worldwide. Ciba Vision filed the U.S. suit April 2001, on behalf of its wholly owned subsidiary, Wesley Jessen, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The suit claimed that Frequency Colors infringe the innovative color technology protected by U.S.
"Jahnke" patent and U.S. "Loshaek" patent owned by Wesley Jessen.

In addition, Ciba Vision had litigation pending against CooperVision in the U.K., Germany and France that included additional patent rights (the "Knapp" patents). On August 2002, the U.S. Court granted Ciba Vision's Motion for Summary Judgment of Infringement and affirmed that CooperVision's contact lenses infringe the patent that protects the brand of contact lenses. A trial was scheduled for October 15 to decide the issue of validity of the Jahnke patent, as well as issues of infringement and validity of the patent.

(Source: APBiscom)