Beckman Coulter sued by GE Healthcare over patents

Beckman Coulter Inc, a maker of laboratory equipment for scientific research, was sued by a British unit of General Electric Co for allegedly infringing two US patents for methods of purifying nucleic acids. Brea, California-based Beckman Coulter, with $3bn in sales last year, said in a December 17 statement that it may have earnings growth in the mid-teens next year. The company said it has more than 200,000 systems in laboratories worldwide.