Willful Patent Infringement And Enhanced Damages

Stryker and Zimmer are competitors selling devices which are a combination spray gun and suction tube for cleaning tissue during surgery. In 2010, Stryker sued Zimmer for patent infringement and a jury found that Zimmer willful infringed Stryker's patents.  The district court trebled damages and awarded $228 million based on evidence that Zimmer copied Stryker's products and accepted the risk of legal consequences given its high-risk/high reward competition strategy.  On appeal, the Federal Circuit affirmed the jury's finding of infringement but, applying its 2007 Seagate (497 F.3d 1360 (2007)) test, vacated the enhanced damages award because Zimmer had asserted "reasonable defenses."