A federal appeals court on Friday upheld a lower court ruling that struck down barcode scanning patents claimed by the estate of late inventor Jerome Lemelson.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit sided with a federal judge in Nevada, who concluded in January 2004 that the patents held by Lemelson Medical, Education & Research Foundation LP were invalid and unenforceable.
The appeals court ruling is a victory for a consortium of companies, led by barcode technology companies like Symbol Technologies, who mounted a legal challenge to the Lemelson patents.
The appeals court said the lower court judge had "thoroughly examined the facts" and "exercised its discretion reasonably."
Symbol's general counsel issued a statement praising the ruling.
"This decision is a victory for our shareholders and customers who can have confidence that our products remain unencumbered by Lemelson's unfair assertions of patent infringement," general counsel Peter Lieb.
The patents were filed by Lemelson and date back to the 1950s. They cover methods for automatic video scanning and inspection.
Before his death in 1997, Lemelson waged a long battle to enforce the scanner patents. Although some companies fought back in court, others settled and agreed to pay to avoid litigation.
