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Stryker (NYSE:SYK) subsidiary Mako Surgical won a round in its patent war with Smith & Nephew‘s (NYSE:SNN) Blue Belt Technologies last week, after the U.S. Patent Trial & Appeal Board declared parts of a Blue Belt patent invalid.
Mako last year asked the patent trial board for an inter partes review of the patent, no. 6,757,582 covering “Methods and systems to control a shaping tool.” The review board found that Mako proved that 11 of the patent’s claims are unpatentable, but failed to show that another 32 claims are invalid.
The ruling hinged on 2 independent claims on which the other disputed claims depended, according to the PTAB’s final decision.
