By Danielle 
Shanghai-based clear-aligner manufacturer Angelalign Technology Inc. (6699.HK) has categorically denied claims of patent infringement brought by California-based Align Technology Inc., pledging defence in a statement on Wednesday.
“Angel has a rich heritage of clinically driven innovation during its 20-plus-year history. Accusations by our competitor of patent violations are frivolous and entirely without merit,” said Angelalign’s senior vice-president and chief commercial officer Rich Hirschland. “Angel has invested heavily in patent compliance since our founding. We are confident that we will prevail in this case.”
Angelalign also says that it has delivered 1.5 million clear-aligner “smiles” since its founding in 2003. The company went public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2021 and launched a global expansion strategy in 2023, now serving over 50 countries and regions.
Hirschland added that the litigation is not expected to materially affect Angelalign’s growth. “We anticipate that our growth will not be materially affected by the lawsuits. We look forward to using the lawsuits to tell the Angel success story and help attract more customers to Angel around the world.”
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‘We welcome fair competition’
Meanwhile, Align Technology said on Monday that it had filed patent-infringement lawsuits against Angelalign in the United States, Europe and China, alleging infringements relating to multilayer aligner materials, treatment-planning software and advanced aligner features. The company is seeking both injunctive relief and monetary damages.
“We welcome fair and innovative competition. But we will protect our own innovations when companies choose to infringe our years of hard work and investment instead of legitimately performing research and development of their own,” Julie Coletti, Align’s executive vice-president and chief legal and regulatory officer, affirmed the company’s open stance on competition.
“The patents we are asserting represent important components of our broad intellectual property portfolio and reflect key innovations in clear-aligner therapy,” she added.
Related: Clear Aligners: An Aesthetic Smile Makeover Using a Minimally Invasive, Cost Effective Technique
Align’s $300M annual research investment
Align also disclosed that it invests over US $300 million annually in research and development — and has invested approximately US $2 billion since 2001 — underscoring its commitment to innovation. “It’s an unrivalled level of investment that shows clearly our unwavering commitment to our customers and their patients,” said Coletti.
The company said its operations span the Americas, EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) and APAC (Asia-Pacific). Its global clinical treatment-planning centres include facilities in Costa Rica, Poland, Chengdu (China), Spain, France, Germany and Japan, while its manufacturing hubs are in Juárez (Mexico), Wroclaw (Poland) and Ziyang (China) — constituting the backbone of the world’s largest 3D-printing network for dental aligners.