LaserSight Withdraws from Negotiations;Files Patent Suit Against Visx

WINTER PARK, Fla., Feb. 2 -- LaserSight has withdrawn from its negotiations for a license with Visx Inc. and has filed suit against Visx claiming non-infringement and invalidity of the Visx L'Esperance '418 patent. LaserSight's suit also claims that Visx has infringed LaserSight's Machat '810 patent. LaserSight plans to sell and ship its LaserScan LSX systems in the US before the end of this quarter, as announced earlier.
Michael R. Farris, LaserSight's president and CEO, said, After extensive legal review, we are highly confident about our position that LaserSight does not infringe the Visx L'Esperance '418 patent. We further believe that Visx infringes the Machat '810 patent and have taken action to enforce the company's intellectual property rights.