American Well filed the lawsuit in June 2015, saying Teladoc “unfairly disregarded” American Well’s intellectual property related to its telemedicine technology.
“While a transparent and competitive landscape is an imperative for innovation, Teladoc has unfairly disregarded American Well’s ownership rights to advance its business,” said Ido Schoenberg, MD, CEO of American Well, in a previous statement. “We developed and patented these innovations, and we owe it to our clients, partners and shareholders to protect them.”
American Well filed the lawsuit after Teladoc petitioned the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office to invalidate some of American Well’s “impermissibly broad” patents that “cover matters that are too obvious to be patented,” Teladoc CEO Jason Gorevic told Becker’s Hospital Review in previous comments.
The federal court ruled American Well’s telehealth patent is invalid because its major elements are “too abstract.”
American Well plans to appeal, according to Politico.
More articles on telehealth:
Telemedicine ethics on table at AMA House of Delegates
Better care at a lower cost: How cloud and telehealth technology can transform small communities
MUSC enables telehealth visits through Epic-Vidyo integration
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