Point Technologies will manufacture and sell several types of spotting pins, including flat-tips or radius-tip made from stainless steel, tungsten, silicon, ceramic, worldwide excluding the USA
Point Technologies and TeleChem International have settled a patent infringement case brought by TeleChem in March 2003.
TeleChem alleged that Point Technologies infringed on its patent, US Patent 6,101,946.
The settlement was successfully negotiated by attorneys of Hutchinson, Black and Cook on behalf of Point Technologies.
"We are thrilled by the settlement.
"Now we can focus on increasing our product offerings for microarray spotting pins and accessories.
"Several new biotech products will be available in the coming months", said Kirk O'Brien, president and CEO of Point Technologies.
"We believe that our long defence of the lawsuit has resulted in a settlement agreement that will benefit Point Technologies and the worldwide spotting pin market.
"High-quality, innovative, and affordable pins, including the current PT and PTL Accelerator slit and solid pins, will continue to be available to all of Point Tech's foreign customers" said O'Brien.
Point Technologies claims it has been the only company in the microarray spotting pin industry to innovate with the introduction of tungsten pins for increased durability and longer life, sequentially numbered collars for easy traceability, coloured collars for easy recognition and differentiation, and advanced surface treatment options.
Point Tech was also the first and only spotting pin manufacturer to sublicense from Incyte, 'Methods for fabricating microarrays of biological samples' issued 15 September 1998 and 'Methods for fabricating microarrays of biological samples' issued 29 August 2000 to Stanford University, which are directed to a method of making a nucleic acid array by tapping the tip of a dispensing device against a solid support.
The Incyte agreement grants a world-wide nonexclusive, non-transferable, nonsublicensable licence of the licenced patents, to make and sell split microarray spotting (printing) pins.
The licence agreement allows direct end users, such as core facilities to buy and use Point Tech Accelerator split spotting pins for internal research purposes, says the company.
It also allows robotic microarrayer manufacturers to offer the Accelerator split pins for sale to their non-US customers for the same end.
Point Technologies will manufacture and sell several types of spotting pins, including pins with flat-tips or radius-tip made from stainless steel, tungsten, silicon, ceramic, or any other shape or size of pin to companies throughout the world, excluding the USA.
The company has transferred its manufacturing processes to its existing manufacturing facility in Costa Rica.
It says it will manufacture and sell a wide assortment of spotting pins, microfluidic devices and accessory items for the world genomic, proteomic and microfluidic lab market.
"Our new facility is fully staffed with well trained employees who will be producing the most reliable and innovative spotting pins in the world.
"Our focus is on providing multiple shapes, sizes, and styles of pins at the most competitive prices available" added O'Brien.
The company's other products are used widely by companies in the semiconductor and medical industries.
Point Tech also makes a wide variety of precision, small diameter needles, pins, electrodes and surgical punches and cutters for the medical device industry.
