November 13, 2026, Filing challenges asserted method claims as patent-ineligible abstract ideas
FLORENCE, S.C. — DeGen Medical, Inc. today filed a motion in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina seeking dismissal of key portions of the patent infringement complaint brought by Carlsmed, Inc. (Case No. 4:26-cv-04064-JD).
Carlsmed filed suit on September 15, 2026, asserting eight patents against DeGen’s patient-specific spinal implants and related services. DeGen’s motion targets the core of that case. It asks the Court to dismiss the asserted method claims of four patents because they claim abstract information processing, which is not eligible for patent protection under Section 101 of the Patent Act.
The motion also seeks dismissal of Carlsmed’s willfulness allegations and its demand for enhanced damages. It asks the Court to reject two further infringement theories that the Complaint does not plausibly support.
The patents asserted by Carlsmed are directed to automated, computer-implemented methods. DeGen has developed an opposite approach centered on human collaboration, with surgeons and engineers working together to deliver implants designed for individual patients.
“Every DeGen patient-specific implant starts with a conversation between a surgeon and an engineer,” said Craig Black, CEO of DeGen Medical. “That partnership is how we build our implants, and it is nothing like the automated methods described in the Carlsmed patents. We will vigorously defend our human-centered approach to patient-specific implants.”
DeGen is committed to defending this case through to its conclusion and will continue to serve surgeons and patients without interruption.
DeGen is represented by Turner, Padget, Graham & Laney, P.A. (Florence, S.C.) and MacMillan, Sobanski & Todd, LLC (Toledo, Ohio).
About DeGen Medical
DeGen Medical is a spine technology company focused on developing advanced spinal implant systems, patient-specific solutions, and additive manufacturing technologies for spine surgery.