Mann Foundation Wins Patent Case

Alfred Mann Foundation in Valencia has won a federal appeals court decision – with a $268 million award – against Australia-based Cochlear Corp. over patents for hearing implants. “Cochlear” refers to the cochlea, a hollow tube in the inner ear that detects sound vibrations. Cochlear implants, which involve a device inside the ear, were developed starting in 1993 by the late entrepreneur Al Mann at his company Advanced Bionics in Santa Clarita, which still makes the devices. Mann started the foundation that bears his name in 1985. The litigation began in 2007 when the foundation sued Cochlear for patent infringement. “This is an enormous win for AMF in litigation that has been ongoing for well over a decade,” John Petrovich, chief executive at the foundation, said in a statement. “We’ve known since day one that Cochlear infringed on our groundbreaking patents and are thankful that a jury and the courts agree with us.” The $268 million award will allow the foundation “to carry out its important mission to develop and commercialize innovative solutions for significant unmet or poorly met medical conditions,” the organization said in a statement.