Philips has accused medical device repair and servicing company Summit Imaging of hacking into its ultrasound machines and other devices and stealing trade secrets, according to the lawsuit filed in federal court in Seattle.
The Woodinville, Washington-based company is accused of creating software that hacks into Philip’s proprietary machines to circumnavigate strong access controls designed to regulate how hardware can be used.
Summit offers hospitals, healthcare systems, manufacturers and others its software as a legal means to get around these restrictions, allowing customers to bypass buying additional software from companies like Philips.
“Summit is making a profit at the expense of Philips by offering consumers the ability to make unlicensed use of Philips software, by hacking Philips software to enable unlicensed features that consumers would otherwise have to purchase separately from Philips,” according to the lawsuit. “Summit then sells these services in direct competition with Philips, at a discount, and is therefore making these unauthorized changes for commercial gain.”
Philips is seeking a “permanent injunction” to stop Summit from using its proprietary material, hacking its software, and damages.
Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.