Appeals Panel Upholds Patent Loss for U. of Minnesota

A federal appeals court on Monday upheld a lower court's decision siding with a medical corporation in a patent fight with the University of Minnesota over ownership of medical devices for fixing heart defects. In its ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit rejected claims by the university that AGA Medical Corp. had infringed on patents owned by Minnesota researchers for septal occluders, devices used to block holes in the wall separating the heart's two chambers. The appeals panel upheld a lower court's decision declaring summary judgment for the company.