September 29, 2010 — DatCard Systems Inc., a global supplier of DICOM digital distribution systems, recently filed suit against PacsGear Inc. and Data Distributing Inc. to prevent the alleged infringement of DatCard’s medical disc publishing patent portfolio. The lawsuits were filed Aug. 24 in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
In the lawsuits, DatCard asks the court to issue a formal injunction to prevent PacsGear from infringing U.S. Patent Nos. 7,729,597, 7,783,174 and 7,302,164; and to prevent Data Distributing from infringing U.S. Patent Nos. 7,729,597, 7,734,157, 7,783,174, and 7,302,164. The lawsuits also seek unspecified damages and attorneys’ fees.
Each of the patents in the lawsuit is directed to aspects of computer systems that record DICOM medical images and other related data onto portable digital storage devices. In DatCard’s own commercial PacsCube product, the storage device also includes a program that allows any user to view the images without the need for specialized preinstalled software. The key technology covered by the patents facilitates sharing of critical medical information with healthcare providers and patients.
In 2008, DatCard filed suit against its largest competitor, Codonics Inc., to prevent its infringement of DatCard’s first patent. The case concluded in 2010, with Codonics agreeing to an injunction requiring it to discontinue sales of its competing product. The current lawsuits involve the same patent that was involved in the Codonics litigation, U.S. Patent No. 7,302,164, plus three additional patents that DatCard was recently awarded by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
For more information: datcard.com
