St. Jude Medical, Inc. announced that it has filed a lawsuit against Volcano Corporation for patent infringement. The global medical device company says that several products distributed by Volcano have infringed on patents. The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware.
In the lawsuit, St. Jude alleges that Volcano products like PrimeWire pressure guide wire products infringe on key patents used for the St. Jude Medical PressureWire technology platform that the company acquired from Radi Medical Systems AB in December 2008.
“St. Jude Medical has made significant investments in the interventional cardiology space, including the coronary assessment and more recently the coronary imaging markets,” said Frank Callaghan, president of the St. Jude Medical Cardiovascular Division. “From clinical research to important product advancements, Radi Medical Systems and now St. Jude Medical have contributed considerably to the success of this marketplace. As a company that values the innovations we bring to the marketplace, we intend to protect our intellectual property.”
The patent lawsuit follows the acquisition of LightLab Imaging, Inc. by St. Jude Medical, which is also involved in its own litigation against Volcano.
It’s interesting to note that two former St. Jude executives serve on Volcano’s board, including former Chairman and CEO Ronald Matricaria and Michael Coyle, a former president of its Cardiac Rhythm Management division.
St. Jude’s suit seeks injunctive and monetary damages.
If you own a patent, it is important that you protect your intellectual property. If you think that someone else has violated your patented ideas, it is best to speak with a patent attorney to be apprised of your rights.
With childhood obesity rates going through the roof, some think that desperate measures need to be taken. That may explain why last month, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) served McDonald’s with a notice of intent to sue if the fast food restaurant continues to promote Happy Meals with toys.
According to CSPI’s letter of intent, they are basing the potential lawsuit on the fact, they believe, McDonald’s is using toys to market to small children in a deceptive manner under the consumer protection laws in a number of states, including California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Texas, and the District of Columbia.
The letter, in part, states that “McDonald’s practices are predatory and wrong” and “illegal, because marketing to kids under eight is inherently deceptive, because young kids are not developmentally advanced enough to understand the persuasive intent of marketing.”
In the company’s rebuttal, William Whitman, vice president of communications for McDonald’s USA, states: “We are proud of our Happy Meal, which gives our customers wholesome food and toys of the highest quality and safety. Getting a toy is just one part of a fun, family experience at McDonald’s.”
Just as Toyota Motor Corp. has tried to turn the corner on the publicity blow they took on their Prius and other hybrid vehicles being recalled for brake problems, the company has suffered another blow. Toyota has been forced to recall an additional 270,000 cars due to faulty engines.
The number of vehicles that have been recalled is now about 8.5 million cars. The 2010 Prius wasn’t part of the earlier recalls.
The latest Toyota recall is the Lexus, affecting seven luxury sedan models, including 17,000 luxury hybrids. Tests showed that fuel can spill during a rear-end crash.
According to Japanese daily newspaper Asahi, the latest 270,000 vehicles being recalled could cost Toyota about $227 million.
The first recall cost Toyota a record $16.4 million fine in the United States for acting to slowly to recall defective vehicles. But they have acted quicker this time around.
“It is clear that Toyota has learned a lesson from the recall disaster. The company has acted very swiftly to deal with problems,” according to Ryoichi Saito, an auto analyst from Mizuho Investors Securities Co. Ltd.
If you have been the victim of a defective product, it is best to consult with a product liability attorney. Whocanisue.com can refer you to a lawyer in your hometown.
Apple, the darling of the tech world, finds itself the target of multiple class-action lawsuits over its new iPhone 4. Two people taking legal action, Kevin McCaffrey and Linda Wrinn, cannot return their phones without incurring a restocking fee, according to the court where they filed their lawsuit.
The iPhone 4, which shipped to consumers in late June, started seeing reports that holding the phone with fingers covering the three black lines on the phone’s edge and the bottom left corner caused a dramatic drop in data reception. This has become known as the “iPhone Death Grip.”
The lawsuits point to advertisements that promise improved reception and overall service as examples of both Apple’s and AT&T’s deceptive trade practices.
“Almost immediately after the purchase of their iPhone 4 devices, both McCaffrey and Wrinn began to experience significantly reduced reception and performance when handling the phones as demonstrated in Apple’s advertisements or as a reasonable person would handle a mobile telephone while making phone calls, browsing the Internet, sending text messages, or utilizing other services provided by the iPhone 4,” according to the lawsuit.
It has been reported that Apple is prepping for a software update that will alleviate connection problems.
A new Iowa law set to go into effect this week prohibits drivers from using their cell phones or other electronic devices while operating their vehicle. The phenomenon of distracted drivers and the damage done on the road has gotten increased attention in recent months.
The new law sets a moratorium for a year on police issuing fines for phone-related offenses.
“A good majority are pretty much addicted to those cell phones,” said Ron Bandy, an Iowa driver’s education instructor. “It will be extremely hard. It’s going to be like trying to overcome a drug addiction.”
According to a University of Utah study, the distraction related to texting is equivalent to having a blood alcohol concentration of .08 percent, which is the legal limit in most states.
There are exceptions allowed under the new law, including people involved in public safety work, health-care professionals involved in emergency situations, truck drivers with digital dispatch systems, and drivers who are getting safety-related information.
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, there are eight states that have banned hand-held cell phone use (California, Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Utah, and Washington). The District of Columbia also has a ban.
The law takes effect July 1, but there will be a one-year “educational period” where violators will be given a warning ticket.
If you have been the victim of a car accident that was caused by a distracted driver who was texting or using their cell phone illegally, it is best to contact a car accident attorney. Whocanisue.com can suggest a highly qualified car accident attorney in your area.
The iPhone 4 is out and it’s better than ever. While it is arguably the most breathtaking electronic device to ever be released to date, you may have heard of the slight problem it was built with. Apparently, there happens to be a very unfortunate reception and antenna issue that just might spawn a class-action lawsuit.
The Law firm Kershaw, Cutter & Ratinoff is issuing a call for disgruntled users as part of their investigations of “potential problems with the release of iPhone 4.”
In their attempt to recruit more people, the lawyers have written, “If you recently purchased the new iPhone and have experienced poor reception quality, dropped calls and weak signals, we would like to hear from you.”
As the video embedded below (and many others) display, you can’t deny that holding the phone a certain way causes a decrease in signal bars. This happens because the metal sides of the device also function as the phone’s antenna. Call reception drops dramatically if the phone is held by its sides in two places.
Here is one of the videos displaying the issue:
Apple CEO Steve Jobs has combatted the complaints by saying that “there is no reception issue,” while also cautioning iPhone 4 owners to “stay tuned.” To me, this implies that they are working on a system upgrade or some sort of “quick fix” that will remedy this problem immediately.
According to our research, the same firm went after Facebook, Zynga, MySpace, RockYou and others for advertising scams and allegedly unauthorized charges to users’ Mafia Wars and FarmVille accounts last fall.
As for us, I’m not quite sure what to make of this issue. I still plan on getting the new phone and probably putting a case over it. At the very worst, I’ll just remember to not hold the phone that way while it’s in my left hand. No harm done.
What’s your opinion? If you have a new iPhone 4, are you experiencing issues with the antenna band? Do you think this issue is worth suing over? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
I don’t know about you, but I’m a big fan of the AMC television show, Breaking Bad. On top of that, one of my all-time favorite HBO shows has to be Mr. Show. The duo of Bob Odenkirk and David Cross resulted in comedy masterpieces every week.
So, what happens when you mix the hilarity of Bob Odenkirk with a tremendous show like “Breaking Bad?”
The result is a hilarious marketing campaign around his character on the show, Saul Goodman. If you don’t watch the show or are currently catching up on DVD, Saul Goodman is the quirky and not so intelligent lawyer that represents the main character in most recent seasons of the show.
Because the character role provides a little extra comedy relief for the show, and viewers seem to love him, Producers have seemingly decided to create a spin-off marketing scheme around the fictional character.
Of course, Saul Goodman is not only a fictional character, but so are his promoted services. If you do in fact need a lawyer, you should not try to contact him for help. Nobody will respond. Instead, you can try out our website. I promise that we can be just as resourceful (and maybe just as entertaining as well).
According to a research report released on Monday of this week, Florida traffic deaths have reached an all-time low in 2009.
Statistics still show that Florida highways are amongst the most dangerous.
The Florida Department of Highway Safety discovered that 2,563 people died in Florida crashes in 2009, which is substantially less compared to 2,983 in 2008.
The numbers in 2009 have dropped by almost 1,000 from the 3,533 deaths on Florida’s roadways in 2005.
The downward trend applies to many of the counties in South Florida. Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties are areas that are improving the most. However, more area-specific numbers will not be released until this summer.
Florida Highway Patrol officials are thanking the primary seat belt law as a major source for the decline from 2008 to 2009.
The primary seat belt law allows officers to pull over vehicles when adults in the front seat or children under 18 are not wearing seat belts. It was placed into effect in July.
Before the law, seat belt violators could be fined only after the police pulled the vehicle over for another reason.
FHP officials point to better laws, new enforcement mechanisms like unmarked police cars, better roads, harsher penalties for traffic violations and more educational opportunities as reasons for the continued downward trend.
This much needed decline in traffic deaths come at a time when the number of vehicles and drivers registered in Florida has been increasing for several years.
The BP oil spill was bad news right from the start. But, the magnitude of the oil spill didn’t come to light until the ensuing days of the disaster. The news got worse… and, worse. From a monetary perspective, BP alone claims to have spent $930 million responding to the ruptured oil well in the Gulf of Mexico.
Oil spills kill wildlife, pollute the air and water, and have a lasting effect on the surrounding ecosystem. It can also have an effect on people at home and in their businesses.
How much more damage will the oil spill cause?
The U.S. government estimates that there has been as much as 29.5 million gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf so far. This number, obviously continues to rise. But, where does this spill rank among the worst spills in history? While the BP oil spill is the worst in U.S. history, and should not be downplayed, it’s not even half of the total of the fifth worst in world history. Here are the top five worst oil spills in history:
1. Gulf War, 1991
The worst oil spill in history didn’t even happen by accident. During the 1991 Gulf War, as Iraqi forces withdrew from their positions in Kuwait, they sabotaged hundreds of wells, oil terminals, and tankers. Estimates are that at least four million barrels of oil poured into the Persian Gulf, or between 160 million and 420 million gallons
2. The IXTOC 1 Oil Well, 1979
The state-owned petroleum company Pemex was drilling an offshore oil well in the Gulf of Mexico when oil ignited causing the drilling rig, which then collapsed. About 138 million gallons spilled into the Gulf.
Two fully-loaded oil carriers, the Atlantic Empress and the Aegean Captain, collided 10 miles off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago during a nasty rainstorm. The results were 90 million gallons spilled, and caught fire. This became the largest tanker-based spill ever recorded.
4. Kolva River Oil Spill, 1994
This oil spill near the town of Usinsk in Northern Russia came about due to a ruptured pipeline. The pipeline, just south of the Arctic Circle, was leaking since February 1994, but the oil was contained within a dike. That was until the dike collapsed, which sent 84 million gallons of oil into the Russian Arctic.
Several oil spills are tied for 5th place, since the estimates are all very close to the 80 million gallons spilled mark:
Nowruz Platform Oil Spill, 1983
In 1983, during the Iran-Iraq War, an oil tanker hit the Nowruz Field Platform in the Persoan Gulf, damaging the well underneath. The 1,500 barrels that leaked every day could not be capped for months since the platform was under attack by Iraqi planes. All told, 80 million gallons of oil spilled.
Castillo de Bellver Oil Spill, 1983
In South Africa, 79 million gallons of oil spilled into the Saldanha Bay northwest of Cape Town after the Castillo de Beliver tanker caught fire and broke in two,
ABT Summer, 1991
The Liberian supertanker ABT Summer exploded about 900 miles off the coast of Angola on May 28, 1991, killing five crew members. It burned for three days before sinking and was never recovered. Estimates of the oil spilled are as high as 81 million gallons.
