In March 2014, Neodent launched its line of “Drive CM” dental implants in the U.S. Nobel Biocare alleges that these implants, imported from Brazil, infringe two Nobel patents and that Neodent has relied on Nobel Biocare’s history of successful clinical data in marketing the Neodent product. The ITC complaint is based on the same patents and Neodent products that are the subject of Nobel Biocare’s patent infringement lawsuit against Neodent, filed in August 2014. The ITC complaint seeks an additional remedy, namely an order banning imports of infringing dental implants that would be enforced by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The NobelActive line has grown to become one of the world’s most popular dental implants, supported by Nobel Biocare’s commitment to research and development (R&D) spending, extensive clinical studies, and training programs for clinicians. Both asserted U.S. patents relate to technology for aiding the surgical installation and successful integration of the implants in a variety of patient indications. Nobel Biocare has asked the ITC to ban the importation and sale of Neodent’s infringing implants in the United States.
Richard Laube, Nobel Biocare’s CEO, commented, “We have asked the International Trade Commission to ban the importation and sale of Neodent implants that infringe Nobel Biocare’s valuable intellectual property rights. Nobel Biocare has invested significant resources into R&D to support our product offerings, and we believe that others should respect our intellectual property.”
