Materialise Sues Nobel Biocare

Any thoughts on the recently filed lawsuit by Materialise against Nobel? Materialise claims that the NobelGuide system infringes on a patent granted to Materialise back in the 90´s, a patent which formed the basis of Materialise´s dental drill guide system, SurgiGuide, introduced back in 1999.

According to Materialise, the principal allegation against Nobel refers to a method for making medical models, including guides for dental surgery, that involves the use of grey value images and rapid prototyping. “We would prefer not to resort to litigation, but we must protect our intellectual property and patented technology, wherever it is infringed,” stated Materialise CEO Wilfried Vancraen. “Our solution was the result of years of development work and a basis for further developments, continuously providing cutting-edge technology that contributes to the success of implant dentistry.”

Materialise asserts that Nobel Biocare as well as diverse dental experts and opinion leaders in the industry were very well aware of the development of the SurgiGuide drill guides, which were presented at open conferences for clinicians. “Customers,” says Vancraen, “have been shocked about the launch of the NobelGuide system and the Procera software from Nobel Biocare without the involvement or the acknowledgement of the rights of Materialise.” He adds that “our customers need to know they can rely on Materialise. Our products are based on extensive research and supported by a large R&D team.”

How do you think this lawsuit will play out? Quick out of court settlement, perhaps? Will there be any long-term effects on Nobel or others?