UPC bars Angelalign Torque Ridges aligners in Estonia

Align Technology said the Paris Local Division of the Unified Patent Court ruled on October 16, 2026, that clear aligner systems incorporating Angelalign’s Torque Ridges feature infringe European Patent EP 2 237 738 B1, which relates to Align’s Power Ridge technology.

The court rejected Angelalign’s challenges to the validity of the patent. It issued an injunction requiring Angelalign to recall and destroy infringing products, ordered the company to pay damages to Align, and granted other relief. Angelalign must stop offering aligner systems that use Torque Ridges in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, and Sweden. The decision is subject to appeal.

Align opened the cases in August 2025 against several companies in the Angelalign Technology group, listed in Hong Kong as 6699.HK. The actions were filed in multiple jurisdictions, including the Unified Patent Court, which covers participating European Union member states. Align, listed on Nasdaq as ALGN, announced the outcome from San Jose, California, and Tempe, Arizona.

Arthur S. Hsieh, Align vice president and deputy general counsel for intellectual property and licensing, said: “The ruling represents a significant victory for Align and underscores the importance of protecting the innovations resulting from Align’s substantial and sustained investment in research and development.” He said Angelalign has sought to downplay the ruling by stressing that it recently discontinued Torque Ridges in Europe and introduced a different feature called Pressure Points. Align said that should not obscure the court’s finding, and that Angelalign has publicly stated it will comply with the order to recall and destroy infringing products, pay damages, and take other remedial actions.

Hsieh said Angelalign’s description of Pressure Points as an “upgrade” or “next generation” of Torque Ridges should not be understood to establish that the two technologies are technically equivalent, or that Pressure Points are an equivalent alternative. He said Angelalign’s own public materials describe Pressure Points as based on the longstanding use of “hand-made dimples” to apply targeted forces to teeth. Align does not view Pressure Points as a technological upgrade to, or an equivalent replacement for, the ridge-based technology in the UPC case. Align has not taken a public position on whether Pressure Points implicate its intellectual property rights, and said it will continue to evaluate products from Angelalign and other market participants.

Power Ridge is designed to apply targeted forces to improve root torque control and support predictable tooth movement. The feature remains an integral part of the Invisalign system.

The October 16 decision follows other Align patent actions against Angelalign. In February 2026, the UPC issued a preliminary injunction requiring Angelalign to cease infringement of Align’s ClinCheck Live Update technology. The UPC Court of Appeal later upheld that order, and proceedings on the merits remain ongoing. In July 2026, the U.S. International Trade Commission held an evidentiary hearing on five patents Align asserted against Angelalign. Align expects an initial determination on the merits in November 2026. In August 2026, the Jinan Intermediate People’s Court in China issued a first-instance judgment finding that Angelalign’s use of its MasterForce biomechanical simulation system and ATreat digital orthodontic treatment design system to generate A7 and A7 Speed premolar extraction solutions infringes Align’s patent rights, and that aligners manufactured and sold using the accused technology also infringe. Angelalign has appealed. Align continues to pursue further patent cases against Angelalign in China.

Align said it has helped doctors treat approximately 23.5 million patients with the Invisalign system over 29 years and invests more than $300 million a year in technology. Clinical treatment planning centers are in Costa Rica, Poland, Chengdu in China, Spain, France, Germany, and Japan. Aligner manufacturing includes facilities in Juarez, Mexico; Wroclaw, Poland; Ziyang, China; Vienna, Austria; and San Jose, California, plus a plant due to come online in Hyderabad, India, in 2027. Align describes that network as the backbone of the world’s largest 3D printing operation for dental aligners. Wroclaw is the operations hub for its EMEA business, serving more than 63,000 Invisalign-trained doctors in the region. The company also offers iTero intraoral scanners and exocad CAD/CAM software, and said these tools serve more than 302,000 doctor-customers.