Unified Patent Court rules Angelalign Technology Inc. infringed Align Technology patent with “torque ridge”; Angelalign: discontinued in Europe and upgraded to “pressure points”

DentalGoodNews｜On October 16, 2026, the Paris Local Division of the Unified Patent Court (UPC) issued a first-instance ruling in the patent infringement case (UPC_CFI_684/2025) brought by Align Technology, Inc. against Angelalign Technology Inc. and related companies: the court found that Angelalign's Angel Aligner "Select" and "Pro" aligner systems, which use the AngelAttach system and its "Torque Ridge" structure, infringe claims 1, 4, 5, 7, and 8 of Align Technology's European patent EP 2 237 738 B1 (hereinafter "EP 738").

According to the judgment, Align Technology was founded in 1997 and Angelalign Technology Inc. was founded in 2003, and the two parties are direct competitors in the field of orthodontic treatment. After finding that the relevant products infringe the claims of EP 738, the court ordered Angelalign to cease the relevant infringing acts in 17 UPC member states, including Austria, Belgium, and Bulgaria. At the same time, the court has ordered Angelalign to compensate Align Technology for the losses caused by the infringement, with the specific amount to be determined in subsequent proceedings.

Align Technology also requested that the relevant infringement liability and injunction be extended to the United Kingdom, but that part of the request was not supported: the court held that Align Technology had not sufficiently explained in its complaint the UK law applicable to the acts at issue, nor had it proven that the defendants committed infringing acts in the United Kingdom. For patients currently undergoing treatment, the judgment shows that Align Technology limited the injunction to patients who have not yet begun treatment or who have interrupted treatment, and it does not target aligners already delivered to patients; the court held that the defendants cannot further limit the scope of corrective measures on the grounds of the interests of patients under treatment. Any losing or partially losing party may appeal to the UPC Court of Appeal within two months of receiving notice of the judgment.

Angelalign disagrees with the ruling, stating that it is carefully reviewing and evaluating the options available to it and will comply with the court's ruling. Currently, its "Torque Ridges" have been discontinued in Europe and replaced by "Pressure Points," which were launched in the European market in September 2026. The company stated that, because Torque Ridges are no longer offered in Europe, the ruling does not affect its product supply in the European market; customers in Spain, the United Kingdom, and regions outside Europe, including the Americas and Asia, are not affected by the ruling.

Image source: Angelalign Investor Relations WeChat Official Account

In addition to this judgment, since August 2025, Align Technology has successively filed multiple patent lawsuits against Angelalign and related companies in Europe, the United States, and China; Angelalign denies the allegations and states that it will actively defend itself. According to the quarterly report submitted by Align Technology to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the company filed lawsuits from August 15 to 18 in the UPC, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, and the Zhengzhou Intermediate People's Court, involving patents on treatment planning, "power ridge" aligner structures, and dental attachments; on August 22, two Chinese subsidiaries of Angelalign filed lawsuits against Align Technology in the Beijing Intellectual Property Court. On September 10, Align Technology filed a lawsuit in the Jinan Intermediate People's Court over extraction space closure technology; on September 23, Align Technology applied to the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) to initiate a "Section 337 investigation" (an investigation into unfair trade practices such as suspected patent infringement by imported products), requesting a ban on the importation into the United States of the clear aligners at issue and their components; the ITC opened the case on December 19 (Case No. 337-TA-1471), and no ruling has yet been issued.

On February 12, 2026, the UPC issued an interim injunction in the treatment planning case, prohibiting Angelalign from using the "Live Now" function, and Angelalign appealed. On May 12, the Düsseldorf Local Division of the UPC rejected Align Technology's application for an interim injunction regarding Angelalign's A7 premolar extraction solution on the grounds that the existing evidence was insufficient to establish infringement, with the patent at issue being EP 4295806 B1. On June 26, the Zhengzhou Intermediate People's Court issued a first-instance judgment in two lawsuits filed by Align Technology, finding that the relevant products and systems of Angelalign did not fall within the scope of protection of the patents at issue and rejecting all of Align Technology's claims; Align Technology plans to appeal to the Supreme People's Court.

On July 8, the UPC Court of Appeal rejected Angelalign's appeal and upheld the "Live Now" interim injunction; in the same month, the ITC held an evidentiary hearing on the five patents asserted by Align Technology, and Align Technology expects a preliminary ruling in November. On August 10, the Jinan Intermediate People's Court issued a first-instance judgment: according to Align Technology's announcement, the court found that Angelalign's generation of A7 and A7 Speed premolar extraction treatment plans constituted infringement and awarded damages of RMB 10 million; on August 13, Angelalign stated that it would appeal, and that the judgment applies only to China and has not yet taken effect.