Top Device Companies

Hansen Wins Suit Against Luna For Sharing Secrets With Intuitive

Hansen Medical has won a court suit against Luna Innovations for breach of contract and sharing trade secrets. A California jury awarded Hansen Medical $36.3 million in damages, close to the $50 million amount that Luna had said would put the Roanoke, Va.-based company out of business. The dispute involved a 2006 agreement Hansen and Luna made to cooperate in using Luna’s fiber-optic technology for sensing shapes in Hansen’s catheters. The jury found that Luna later shared Hansen trade secrets with Intuitive Surgical in a separate deal involving an Intuitive robotic device. (Click here for more)

“Luna Innovations Hit With $36.3 Million Jury Verdict” – Roanoke Times (4/22/09)

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Intuitive Surgical Says Bad Economy Makes Sales Unpredictable

Intuitive Surgical canceled plans to estimate sales this year of its motion-capture surgical robots and supportive equipment, saying the economic environment was too uncertain to allow a forecast. Stock analysts had provided their own estimates over a wide range, but Intuitive faces sales resistance for its expensive “da Vinci” devices that average $1.3 million each, because hospital customers cannot afford them at present. Intuitive had predicted sales would be flat this year, but it reported an 11 percent decline during the first quarter. (Click here for more – a subscription may be required)

“Intuitive Surgical Puts Guidance On Hold Amid Economic Haze” – Wall Street Journal (4/16/09)

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