In a joint statement Thursday, 3M and Ivoclar Vivadent announced the settlement of a patent dispute between the two companies in Germany over the technology used to color processed zirconia. The technology in dispute is the system 3M developed to color unshaded zirconia to match the natural color of a patient’s surrounding dentition.
This technology is used by much of the dental industry to apply shades to zirconia restorations, according to the statement. Ivoclar will now license the technology from 3M as a part of the settlement. 3M also stated that the company is open to licensing the technology to other interested companies.
Source: BusinessWire