Intuitive Hit With Patent Suit Over Robotic Surgery Devices

Advanced Surgical Concepts Ltd. brought patent infringement allegations against robotic device developer Intuitive Surgical Inc. after they failed to reach a technology licensing deal.

Intuitive sought help from ASC to develop products for its da Vinci robotic surgery systems, according to a complaint filed Thursday in the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts. ASC said it had several confidential meetings with Intuitive over its intellectual property, but the developer declined to buy a license or the patent owner’s products.

“Intuitive instead used the knowledge it gained from studying ASC’s patents and from the parties’ confidential meetings” and received ...