Intuitive Surgical and Computer Motion Merge to Create Concentrated Robotics Play

For many companies trying to get innovative technology accepted in the marketplace, intellectual property becomes a critical battleground. But when it becomes the primary battleground, IP litigation can divert and distort the companies from their main goal: gaining adoption for their technology. That, at least, is what happened in surgical robotics, a highly promising, but to date poorly penetrated innovation. And now, tired of fighting each other in court, the two leading robotics companies, Sunnyvale, CA-based Intuitive Surgical Inc. and Santa Barbara, CA-based Computer Motion Inc. , have decided to render their IP differences moot through a merger of the two companies [See Deal].

Discussing the deal, Lonnie Smith, Intuitive's CEO who will run the combined company, noted that "Clearly, we were both pouring a ton of time, energy, and resources into IP battles."...