ATL loses round in patent suit

Ultrasound vendor ATL of Bothell, WA, is planning to appeal adecision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Districtthat upheld a lower court ruling that it infringed on a patentheld by SRI International of Palo Alto, CA. At issue is a circuitused to track ultrasound signals in ATL's Ultramark 4 scanneras well as two discontinued products, Ultramark 5 and ADR 4000(SCAN 2/24/93). The patent expired in April 1994, and ATL saidthat due to the expiration there will be no impact on the company'sability to deliver products.

SRI filed a request for partial summary judgment on its claimin July 1991, and in November 1992 a U.S. district court judgeruled on that motion and determined that ATL had infringed SRI'spatent.

ATL appealed that ruling, but on Dec. 29 announced that theappeals court affirmed the lower court's ruling. ATL said it "willcontinue to seek legal remedies." SRI has claimed $5 millionin damages. A jury trial for the case is pending.