eRad settles with DR Systems over patent infringement

DR Systems has reached a settlement with eRad, leaving NovaRad as the last defendant in a patent infringement lawsuit over a feature on a PACS diagnostic reading workstation. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

Judge John A. Houston approved the parties' joint motion for dismissal in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California on May 20, leaving NovaRad as the only party in the case over U.S Patent 5,452,416, reported Law360.

According to DR Systems' Web site, the '416 patent covers its Dominator diagnostic reading station. The patent, titled "Automated system and method for organizing, presenting and manipulating medical images, was issued to Wesley W. Hilton, Murray A. Reicher and Dale Seegmiller, and assigned to Dominator Radiology in September 1995.

The San Diego-based DR Systems filed suit against the Greenville, S.C.-based eRad and the American Fork, Utah-based NovaRad in September 2008 for allegedly infringing the patent with the sale and distribution of their automated medical imaging and archival systems, specifically the defendants' PACS products.

DR Systems voluntarily dismissed the Birmingham, Ala.-based Emageon from the suit in November 2008.

In February 2006, DR Systems took FujiFilm Medical Systems, GE Healthcare, Philips Electronics North America, McKesson, Siemens, Eastman Kodak and others to court for alleged infringement of the ‘416 patent.

Jaczko Gollard and Niro Scavone Hiller and Niro are representing DR Systems. Procopio Cory Hargreaves and Savitch represented eRad.