Research ultrasound technology developer Verasonics has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against former technology licensee SuperSonic Imagine.
The lawsuit alleges that SuperSonic Imagine has infringed on Verasonics' patents related to software beamforming architecture through the sales of its Aixplorer ultrasound systems. Verasonics also alleges that SuperSonic Imagine misappropriated its trade secrets in connection with the development, use, and sale of the Aixplorer platform.
The company said it had licensed certain proprietary technology to SuperSonic Imagine, but the license expired on December 31, 2014. Since then, SuperSonic Imagine continued to use its patented and trade secret technology without the license, according to Verasonics.
Versonics filed its lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington on November 22, 2017. The firm is seeking monetary damages and injunctive relief, including an injunction prohibiting further marketing, sales, and development of products based on the Aixplorer platform.
This legal action follows a settlement agreement reached last year by Verasonics in an intellectual property dispute with Korean ultrasound firm Alpinion Medical Systems.
In a statement, SuperSonic Imagine said it strongly denies the allegations in the Verasonics lawsuit and will vigorously defend itself against the claims. It intends to challenge the validity and legitimacy of the asserted intellectual property, according to the company.
