The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, Waco Division found that NCS Multistage Holdings Inc.'s U.S. Patent No. 10,465,445 is valid, protecting the company's AirLock casing buoyancy system, according to an NCS press release on Aug. 29.

The court decided that Norwegian oilfield service company TCO AS' TDP-PO casing flotation device infringes on the NCS patent and awarded approximately $1.9 million to NCS in past infringement damages from 2019.

The device "integrates a hydraulic removal pump open system within the plug package, which is triggered remotely without the use of explosives," according to TCO's website.

During the case, NCS was represented by Blank Rome LLP, led by Andy Fletcher, Domingo Llagostera, Russell Wong and Megan Wood.

The company's portfolio currently contains over 100 issued patents, the result of "more than a decade of innovation and continuous improvement by NCS employees and considerable financial investment," NCS CEO Robert Nipper commented in the release.

“We are grateful that a jury of our peers has once again affirmed those efforts by upholding the validity of the patent-in-suit," Nipper added. "While our preference is to protect our intellectual property rights through resolution outside of court, we will continue to enforce our rights through the court system if they are not respected."

"This jury verdict reinforces our continuing drive to deliver innovative technologies that bring enhanced efficiency and value to our customers,” he continued.

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