Hearing Components wins lawsuit against Shure

Following a multi-year dispute, Hearing Components has won a patent infringement lawsuit it filed against Shure. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has ruled in favor of Hearing Components, who claimed Shure was infringing on two of its patents relating to the use of foam tips in combination with earphones to provide sound isolation. Hearing Components filed the suit in May 2007, and won jury and bench trials in January 2009, which were subsequently appealed. “The products patented by Hearing Components were developed from years of research,” said Hearing Components President/CEO Bob Oliveira, Ph.D. “We take our intellectual property very seriously and are glad to have resolution of the use of foam tips on hearing devices.” According to the company, the ruling should result in an award of just under $5 million for the two counts of infringement.