Wisconsin court affirms damages in Innogenetics, Abbott patent case

Madison, Wis. - The United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin has upheld a $7 million damage verdict against Abbott Laboratories.

The Madison-based court affirmed the damage award to Innogenetics, a biopharmaceutical company based in Gent, Belgium, and rejected Abbott Labs' request for a new trial on infringement.

Innogenetics had sued Abbott labs for infringing on a genotyping patent. Frank Morich, CEO of Innogenetics, said in a release that the court, by upholding the jury's damage award, sent a message to “companies large and small that mistakenly believe they can misappropriate others' innovations without regard for the law.”

The court also granted Innogenetics' motion for prejudgment interest on the damage award, and set a Jan. 11 evidentiary hearing date to consider the company's request for a permanent injunction against Abbott's sale of infringing products.

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