This article has been updated with a comment from Life Technologies.
NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – A jury has ruled in favor of Promega in its patent infringement lawsuit against Life Technologies and awarded the Madison, Wis.-based firm more than $52 million in damages.
The jury found that Life Tech willfully infringed Promega's IP, and the US District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, where the lawsuit was filed, may increase the final damage amount in light of the willfulness verdict, Promega said in a statement.
The court has set a schedule to consider an injunction against Life Tech for sales of its infringing products, Promega added.
Promega filed its lawsuit against Life Tech in May 2010.
The court issued a summary judgment in November, which confirmed Promega's STR patents and found Life Tech directly infringed Promega's patents with the sale of its own STR kits. The technology is used for genetic analysis applications including genetic research, cell line authentication, bone marrow transplantation monitoring, forensic training, and cancer analysis.
"The court's ruling and the jury award confirm the value of Promega [short tandem repeat] technology and its contributions to genetic analysis in the fields of research and molecular diagnostics," Bill Linton, CEO of Promega, said.
"Life Technologies is considering its options in light of the verdict in the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, including post-trial motions and appeals," Life Tech said in a statement. "Sales of Life Technologies STR products for the core forensics and paternity fields are not affected by the Jury's decision, and Life Technologies remains committed to serving the needs of our forensics and paternity customers."