08/23/2019 | Press Releases

Kuraray Noritake Dental files a patent infringement lawsuit in Germany to protect its layered ceramics technology

Kuraray Noritake Dental Inc. (President: Kiyoyuki Arikawa), with its head office in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan, is convinced that a German manufacturer of components for medical ceramics is infringing Kuraray Noritake Dental Inc.'s European Patent No. 2024300.

This patent protects a method for manufacturing layered ceramics. On August 5th, 2019, Kuraray Noritake Dental Inc. filed a patent infringement lawsuit against this company and its two general managers with the Düsseldorf District Court. Kuraray Noritake Dental Inc. requested the court to enjoin the company from selling its multi-layered zirconia discs and to award damages for past infringing activities.

In 2012, Kuraray Noritake Dental Inc. launched a multi-layered zirconia disc with smooth gradations between the layers, called "KATANA™ Zirconia". The multi-layered structure has been achieved by taking advantage of a proprietary coloring technology and optimizing the amounts of pigments contained in the product. This product also delivers fine accuracy of adaptation, which has been achieved by precisely controlling the shrinkage factor of each layer. It is possible to use a KATANA™ Zirconia disc to fabricate a full-zirconia restoration with gradations realistically simulating tooth shades from the cervical (gum) area to the incisal edges in a simple milling machine operation. In 2015, Kuraray Noritake Dental Inc. released a new KATANA™ Zirconia series with a high level of translucency that resembles human enamel closely, thus expanding the application range of the product as an esthetically pleasing form of dental restoration. Multi-layered zirconia discs have been sold worldwide and have contributed greatly to the development of dental treatment around the world.

Kuraray Noritake Dental Inc. believes that its intellectual property rights are important management resources. Kuraray Noritake Dental Inc. makes it clear that if it finds that any of their intellectual property rights have been infringed, it is committed to handling the matter by appealing for strict application of the relevant laws.

 

Overview of Kuraray Noritake Dental Inc. 

Company nameKuraray Noritake Dental. Inc.
Head Office1-1-3, Otemachi, Chiyoda-Ku, Tokyo, 100-0004, Japan
RepresentativeKiyoyuki Arikawa, President
Capital300 million yen (66.7% by Kuraray Co., Ltd. and 33.3% by Noritake Company Limited)
EstablishedOctober 1, 2001 (The company was established as Kuraray Medical Inc. in 2001 and the name was changed to the current name in 2012.)
Line of businessDental adhesives and filling materials, dental crown and bridge resin, dental ceramics, dental plaster, dental CAD/CAM devices and materials

 

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