Beckman Reports Winning Suit Over Infringement

Beckman Instruments Inc. in Fullerton said it has won $1 million in damages from a Swedish company following a two-year court fight over infringement on a patented research technology.

The company said a U.S. District Court jury in Baltimore ruled against Swedish-based LKB Produkter and its U.S. subsidiary, LKB Instruments Inc., which is located in Baltimore. LKB was bought earlier this year by Pharmacia Inc. of Piscataway, N.J..

The patent, issued in 1977, involves a technology used in liquid scintillation counters, devices that measure electrical charges emitted when samples of blood, urine or body tissue are exposed to radiation.