Fonar Corp. v. General Electric Co.
"Fonar" was a dispute between medical device manufacturer Fonar Corporation and General Electric over Fonar's patent on MRI technology. Fonar's founder, Raymond Damadian, was issued U.S. Patent 3,789,832 (priority date 1972-03-17) for an "apparatus and method for detecting cancer in tissue" using the magnetic resonance of atoms. Damadian's patent was the first patent on an MRI machine issued in the United States. Also at issue was a later patent, U.S. Patent 4,871,966 issued in 1989, covering a method for obtaining MRI images of multiple planes at different orientations in a single scan. GE is a major manufacturer of MRI scanners, and Fonar sued GE for infringing these patents by producing its scanners as well as inducing others to infringe.
Jonathan S. Lewin
Jonathan S. Lewin (born 1959) is an American neuroradiologist specializing in medical imaging research with an emphasis on the investigation, development, and translation of new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques. He serves as executive vice president for health affairs (EVPHA) for Emory University, executive director of the Woodruff Health Sciences Center, and president, CEO, and chairman of the board of Emory Healthcare. He is also professor of both radiology and imaging sciences and of biomedical engineering in the Emory School of Medicine and adjunct professor of health policy in the Rollins School of Public Health.