Hologic trades patent charges with Lunar

Turnabout is fair playfor bone densitometry firm Hologic. The Waltham, MA, company raisedthe stakes this month in its legal battle with Lunar, filing acountersuit that accuses its competitor of infringing on its patents.The suit seeks to have three Lunar patents invalidated.

Lunar, of Madison, WI, fired the opening salvo last month whenit filed a federal lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the EasternDistrict of Wisconsin (SCAN 9/14/94). Lunar said that Hologic'smorphometry process is covered by three Lunar patents and askedthe court to overturn several Hologic patents.

Hologic's countersuit, filed in U.S. District Court for theDistrict of Massachusetts, charges that Lunar is infringing ontwo of Hologic's patents and asks for injunctive relief and damages.The complaint also seeks a declaration that Hologic does not infringeon three Lunar patents, which should be invalidated, accordingto the company. Finally, Hologic is asking for injunctive reliefand damages in connection with what the company said was "Lunar'sdissemination of false and misleading information which misrepresentsand disparages the quality of Hologic's bone densitometry products."