A legal tussle has sprung up between 3M Co. and a dental company based in Liechtenstein, with each suing the other over a patent the foreign company has on a material for filling teeth.
3M and European firm sue each other over dental patent
December 2, 2011 at 3:40AM
In a suit filed Thursday in federal court in Delaware, Ivoclar Vivadent AG accused Maplewood-based 3M of infringing on a patent Ivoclar received on the filler material in 1999. The suit by Ivoclar, which also has operations in Amherst, N.Y., seeks unspecified damages and a court order prohibiting 3M from selling its material that it markets under the Filtek brand name.
Ivoclar's suit came one day after 3M sued Ivoclar in Minnesota court, accusing the company of reneging on a previous agreement to not sue 3M. The complaint didn't provide details of the agreement. In its suit, 3M claims Ivoclar's patent is invalid and seeks a jury trial. "Our suit seeks a declaratory judgment that will confirm our rights to continue to practice our dental materials technology," said 3M spokeswoman Donna Fleming Runyon.
Susan Feyder • 612-673-1723
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SUSAN FEYDER, Star Tribune
The national firm recently expanded with a merger of its own, combining with one out west.
