Hale and Dorr, on behalf of our client, Alcon Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: ACL), a leading eye care company headquartered in Ft. Worth, Texas, recently won a major patent infringement suit against the Japanese company Nidek Co., Ltd. and its U.S. subsidiaries. A jury in Boston found that Nidek and its EC-5000 excimer laser system used for laser vision correction willfully infringed upon all 14 asserted claims of the Marshall and Azema patents of Summit Technology, Inc., which Alcon acquired in 2000. The jury awarded Summit over $17.2 million in damages. In light of the verdict, Summit has also asked the court to enter a permanent injunction against Nidek and to treble the damages awarded.

"We are very pleased to have been able to achieve this result for Alcon," said Wayne Stoner, partner and lead counsel on the case from Hale and Dorr. "This victory confirms the position of Alcon and its patents in the laser vision correction industry."

Other Hale and Dorr attorneys and professionals representing Alcon included: Lisa Pirozzolo, partner; Sharon Simpson-Jones, associate; Patty Slentz-Howard, paralegal; and Michelle Lee, paralegal. Hale and Dorr attorneys handled the trial from the firm’s Boston office.