On April 5, 2005, a federal district court jury in Seattle, Washington, found that knee braces manufactured and sold by Medical Technology Inc., dba Bledsoe Brace Systems, of Grand Prairie, Texas, infringe two patents owned by Generation II Orthotics of Richmond, B.C., and licensed to Generation II USA, Inc. of Bothell, Washington. Generation II Orthotics and Generation II USA Inc. are subsidiaries of Ossur hf of Reykjavik, Iceland.
The two patents at issue were United States Patent No. B1 5,302,169 and United States Patent No. 5,400,806, which relate to adjustable knee braces used in the treatment of unicompartmental osteoarthritis or following high tibial osteotomy. The jury found that the Thruster and Thruster 2 knee braces sold by Bledsoe Brace Systems infringe both patents, and that the infringement was willful. The jury awarded $3,386,145 in damages. The decision is subjected to review by the federal district court judge and to appeal by the defendant. It is not possible at this time to estimate the amount, if any that may be ultimately recovered from the litigation.
Ossur is a world wide leader in the research, development, manufacturing, distribution and marketing of high technology orthotic and prosthetic devices. The company's mission is to offer people a life without limitations. In addition to its numerous product lines which maintain leading market positions, Ossur is acknowledged as an industry leader in education and community outreach. Ossur's head office is located in Reykjavik, Iceland with its North American headquarters in Aliso Viejo, California. Ossur has additional manufacturing, distribution and operational facilities in Reykjavik, Iceland; Uppsala, Sweden; Eindhoven, Holland; Albion, Michigan; Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, B.C.
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