Align Technology (Nasdaq: ALGN) has settled its five-year legal dispute with Denmark-based dental scanner and software maker 3Shape.
The settlement, announced yesterday, covers 3Shape’s patent infringement claims pending in federal courts in Delaware and eastern Texas. 3Shape also had an antitrust claim pending against Align in Delaware District Court, and both companies had petitions to invalidate patents before the United States Patent Trial and Appeal Board.
3Shape, among other things, claimed that Align’s ITero scanners infringed on its intellectual property.
The settlement’s financial terms are confidential; Align officials do not expect the settlement to affect its ongoing operations and financial results.
The settlement also allows Invisalign customers in certain countries and territories outside the United States, China and Japan to use scans from 3Shape Trios 2 and Trios 3 scanners for Invisalign case submissions.
“Align Technology is pleased to have resolved these disputes with 3Shape,” stated Julie Coletti, senior vice president, Chief Legal and Regulatory Officer. “We will continue our focus on innovation, including technologies such as the award-winning iTero Element 5D imaging system which aids in the detection and monitoring of interproximal caries lesions above the gingiva without using harmful radiation,” said Julie Coletti, SVP and chief legal and regulatory officer at Align Technology.