Millipore Corporation (Billerica, MA) has filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts against W.L. Gore & Associates for infringement of Millipore’s patent rights under US Patent No. 7,293,477, “Disposable, Pre-Sterilized Fluid Receptacle Sampling Device.”

Millipore’s suit claims that W.L. Gore’s STA-PURE sampler products compete with components of Millipore’s NovaSeptumsampling system. The NovaSeptum sampling system is a sterile, disposable, completely enclosed sampling system for aseptic and sterile processes.

W.L. Gore denies any wrongdoing. “Gore believes the complaint to be without merit and has answered the complaint,” said Jacques Rene of W.L. Gore. “Gore contends that the 477 patent is invalid and not infringed by any Gore product.”