Irvine-based heart valve maker Edwards Lifesciences Corp. is suing small rival CoreValve Inc. of Irvine for alleged patent infringement.
Edwards, which is developing a heart valve that doesn’t require major surgery, charged in its suit that CoreValve infringed on three of its patents relating to heart valves that are implanted through a catheter.
This is the third time within a year that Edwards has taken legal action against CoreValve over patent matters.
Edwards sued CoreValve in a German court in 2007 for infringement of a related patent. Similar litigation is pending in Britain.
Edwards said the European lawsuits addressed the sale of CoreValve’s allegedly infringing valves. The new lawsuit, filed in federal court in Delaware, is directed at CoreValve’s domestic manufacturing of valves for export and sale in Europe.
