Align Technology Wins Significant Patent Infringement Case Against Angelalign at Unified Patent Court

Arthur S. Hsieh, Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, Intellectual Property & Licensing at Align Technology

“The ruling represents a significant victory for Align and underscores the importance of protecting the innovations resulting from Align’s substantial and sustained investment in research and development. Angel has sought to downplay the impact of the ruling by emphasizing that Angel recently discontinued Torque Ridges in Europe and introduced a different feature called ‘Pressure Points.’ This should not obscure the significance of the Court’s decision: Angel’s Torque Ridges were found to infringe Align’s patented technology, and Angel has publicly stated that it will comply with the Court’s ruling, which requires Angel to recall and destroy infringing products, pay damages to Align, and take other remedial actions. Similarly, Angel’s characterization of Pressure Points as an “upgrade” or “next generation” of Torque Ridges should not be understood to establish that the two technologies are technically equivalent or that Pressure Points provide an equivalent alternative to Torque Ridges. Angel’s own public materials describe Pressure Points as based on the longstanding use of “hand-made dimples” to apply targeted forces to teeth. Align does not view Angel’s Pressure Points as a technological upgrade to, or an equivalent replacement for, the ridge-based technology at issue in the UPC proceeding.”