DUBLIN, Ireland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 23, 2014-- Covidien plc. (NYSE: COV) does not infringe certain patents held by Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company, according to a summary judgment ruling issued by the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio. As a result of this ruling, the Ethicon patent infringement action is dismissed and Covidien remains free to continue selling its Sonicision™ cordless ultrasonic dissection system.

Ethicon sued Covidien in December 2011, claiming that Covidien’s award-winning Sonicision system infringed a number of Ethicon patents. In a Jan. 22 ruling, the Court found that Covidien does not infringe any of the seven Ethicon patents in dispute, and also ruled that five of Ethicon’s patents are invalid.

“The Court recognized that Covidien’s Sonicision system is differentiated from the devices and intellectual property of our competitor,” said Chris Barry, president, Advanced Surgical, Covidien. “As we demonstrated in this case, we will vigorously protect our innovative products, solutions and intellectual property.”

ABOUT COVIDIEN

Covidien is a leading global healthcare products company that creates innovative medical solutions for better patient outcomes and delivers value through clinical leadership and excellence. Covidien develops, manufactures and sells a diverse range of industry-leading medical device and supply products. With 2013 revenue of $10.2 billion, Covidien has more than 38,000 employees worldwide in more than 70 countries, and its products are sold in over 150 countries. Please visit www.covidien.com to learn more about our business.

Source: Covidien plc.

Covidien
Marguerite Copel, 203-821-4720
Vice President
Communications
marguerite.copel@covidien.com
or
John Jordan, 508-452-4891
Manager
Communications
john.jordan@covidien.com
or
Coleman Lannum, CFA, 508-452-4343
Vice President
Investor Relations
cole.lannum@covidien.com
or
Todd Carpenter, 508-452-4363
Senior Director
Investor Relations
todd.carpenter@covidien.com