Image enhancement developer ContextVision has won a patent lawsuit involving imaging services company Sapheneia.
On July 12, the Stockholm District Court ruled that ContextVision is the owner of a patent application filed by Sapheneia in September 2006. The patent application represents the underlying technology across multiple medical imaging modalities.
ContextVision said the origins of the dispute began in 2006, when five employees left the firm to form Sapheneia; two of them filed for a patent for work they invented within five months of leaving. ContextVision claims the patent covers Sapheneia's Clarity Server Solution platform.
ContextVision claims that it proved the technology within the patent is a result of work the two filing inventors conducted during their time at ContextVision. According to Swedish law, any invention or patent application filed within six months of employment belongs to the previous employer, in this case making ContextVision the rightful owner.
Sapheneia was ordered to pay ContextVision's legal costs during this process, amounting to 2.9 million Swedish kronor ($445,000).
