In an ongoing legal dispute with the manufacturer of SawStop over the import of the Bosch Reaxx jobsite safety saw, Bosch responded. Its statement says it believes the patents being disputed before an administrative law judge at the U.S. International Trade Commission differ from SawStop's flesh-sensing technology.
The administrative judge this week issued an initial ruling that Bosch’s new Reaxx safety saw infringes on SawStop patents. SawStop is using that argument in its effort to block import of the Reaxx saw. which Bosch has begun selling.
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ARTICLE Ruling favors flesh sensing technology in table saws A federal judge in Florida ruled in a case related to flesh-sensing technology. |
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If that ruling ultimately prevails, it could halt the import and sale of the saw in the United States. Separately SawStop's manufacturer is pursuing other legal efforts to prove its belief that the Bosch Reaxx saw safety technology infringes on its patents. The Trade Commission effort is seen as the fastest way to stop the Reaxx import. Separately, SawStop is suing several manufacturers of table saws for collusion in blocking adoption of its technology. This month, Bosch asked a judge to release it from that case.
Bosch issued the following statement in response to SawStop's press release announcing the ruling.
Although Bosch does not normally discuss details of litigation because we feel it is best handled in the context of the legal proceedings, we have seen statements about litigation concerning the Bosch Reaxx Jobsite Table Saw that give a misleading impression of what has occurred.
At this time legal proceedings are still under way. The International Trade Commission (ITC) will review the initial determination provided by the Administrative Law Judge on Sept. 9, 2016, as well as additional arguments from the parties, before it makes any decision in the matter. The commission’s decision is not expected until early January 2017. Contrary to any other implication, the patent legal proceedings are ongoing and not final.
The Bosch Reaxx Jobsite Table Saw is based on patented technology developed by the Power Tool Institute and the engineering team at Robert Bosch Tool Corp. in Mount Prospect, Ill. We believe that advanced Reaxx safety technology does not violate any competitor’s intellectual property rights.
It is disappointing that a competitor is continuing its campaign to stop the sale of patented Reaxx technology to consumers. The patents asserted against Reaxx are based on applications filed more than 15 years ago; Bosch does not believe they apply to Reaxx technology. In addition, Bosch believes that if the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office had complete information it would not have issued certain patents in the first place.
Bosch has vigorously defended, and will continue to defend, its ability to make Reaxx table saws available in the United States. In addition, Bosch will continue to pursue its own claim of patent infringement against the competitor filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
The ongoing litigation has no effect on distributors’ ability to buy or sell Bosch Reaxx table saws. Reaxx cartridges, accessories and service parts are available. The Bosch commitment to provide safe products to users is critical today and in the future.
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