3M has filed a patent infringement lawsuit in Germany against Ivoclar Vivadent regarding its nonshaded zirconia CAD/CAM blocks and coloring liquids, sold Ivoclar's IPS e.max ZirCAD brand.
In related news, a nearly two-year patent infringement lawsuit between 3M and Zirkonzahn in Germany has been resolved with a licensing agreement. Zirkonzahn is the latest dental company to license 3M technology that enables the coloring of zirconia-based dental restorations. This technology improves aesthetics for patients by enabling the color matching of dental restorations to the natural color of the patients' teeth, the company noted in a press release.
3M is open to licensing this technology to other dental manufactures and interested parties.
