WELLINGTON, Aug 18 (Reuters) - ResMed Inc
said on Thursday it has filed legal action to stop the alleged infringement of its patented technology by New Zealand-based medical device manufacturer Fisher & Paykel Healthcare (FPH). ResMed said in a statement it filed legal action with the U.S. International Trade Commission and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California in San Diego, as well as courts in New Zealand and Germany.
Fisher & Paykel Healthcare said it intends to "vigorously defend" the allegations, in a statement to the New Zealand stock exchange.
The move comes after Fisher & Paykel Healthcare filed patent infringement proceedings against ResMed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California earlier this week.
Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Chief Executive Lewis Gradon said "we believe we have good and valid defenses to the claims filed by ResMed and we will vigorously contest these claims. We are also confident in our infringement and validity positions with respect to our own patents."
For its part, ResMed global general counsel and chief administrative officer David Pendarvis said his company "is confident that when the courts hear all the evidence, ResMed will prevail on its case and defeat any claims asserted by Fisher & Paykel."
