From this week's C&EN, Marc Reisch covers a really odd lawsuit:
Also, I'd really love to know what advances are present in the Reveleris and the Combiflash systems; is it just that they have ELSDs? I would love to know what makes Reveleris a "game changer."
W.R. Grace & Co. has sued Teledyne Technologies in federal court for infringing four patents covering flash chromatography, a quick chemical purification process widely used in pharmaceutical research. Grace seeks unspecified damages and an end to the infringement of its patents.
Teledyne Isco is the Teledyne unit that makes flash chromatography systems that compete with those of Grace’s Alltech Associates subsidiary located in Deerfield, Ill. Teledyne, whose Isco unit is based in Lincoln, Neb., did not respond to requests for comment.
According to documents filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, Grace’s Alltech unit received four U.S. patents in 2012 covering chemical purification techniques performed with its Reveleris X2 system. After each of the patents was issued, Grace sent a letter notifying its competitor that the Teledyne Combiflash Rf 200i system infringed on the patents. In the months since Teledyne was notified, Grace charges, Teledyne has continued to infringe on the patents “by making, using, selling, or offering for sale in the U.S.” the Combiflash system.
The Reveleris system, introduced in March 2009, was Grace’s first flash chromatography instrument and “a game changer,” according to Laurie Andriate, general manager of the firm’s discovery sciences group. The instrument, she says, made Grace a contender in a market dominated by Teledyne and Biotage, which offers the Isolara line of flash chromatography instruments.Here's the funny part -- something tells me that Isco isn't really infringing on Grace's patents, but that this is some sort of larger battle between the two companies that has spilled over into the intellectual property system. (Why isn't Biotage involved in this fight?)
Also, I'd really love to know what advances are present in the Reveleris and the Combiflash systems; is it just that they have ELSDs? I would love to know what makes Reveleris a "game changer."
The Reveleris is a piece of shit. It's way bulkier than both the ISCO and Biotage systems, but doesn't perform as well. The mandatory ELSD bumps the price into the $40K region where you can get brand new ISCO or Biotage systems for $25K. Grace is scrambling to get one last piece of the cake before they get forced out entirely.
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