Google and the Motion Picture Association of America are reportedly using a current patent infringement lawsuit regarding invisible teeth straightening technology to argue their own sides as to whether the International Trade Commission should have the power to block imports of virtual products found to have infringed on patents in the US, just as they can block physical product imports.
According to reports, both Google and the film group have filed comments to the ITC on the ongoing braces lawsuit, in which Align Technology argues that rival ClearCorrect Operations is infringing on its patents. Align Technology, which makes Invisalign, wants the ITC to block ClearCorrect from transmitting computerized dental plans from Pakistan into a 3-D printer in the US on grounds it violates Align’s intellectual property, reports say.
A judge last year found that ClearCorrect was in violation of six of Align’s patents, reports say, but the ITC has yet to issue a ruling on whether to block the dental plan transmissions as they represent a virtual product, not a physical one.
The stakes have been raised in the invisible braces case now that Google and the film group have gotten involved.
The MPAA argues that virtual products should be included in the law, hoping to curb movie and music bootleggers that have moved to digital copies of products instead of physical ones.
But Google argues that the law should remain as-is, and that the law that gives the ability to block patent-infringing product imports did not include digital products even when the legislation was revised in the 1980s.
The rivaling groups have now weighed-in with their opinions in the teeth straightening case, which already has major implications for Align, as 93 percent of its revenue last year depended on that Invisalign product.
Full Content: Businessweek
Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.
Featured News
Australia’s Major Supermarkets Face Scrutiny Over Profit Margins Amid Rising Prices
Mar 21, 2025 by
CPI
Fired FTC Commissioners Warn of Potential White House Influence Over Mergers
Mar 20, 2025 by
CPI
Dr. Matthew Backus Joins Compass Lexecon as an Affiliate
Mar 20, 2025 by
CPI
UK to Boost Broadband Competition While Capping Openreach Charges, Says Ofcom
Mar 20, 2025 by
CPI
Singapore Competition Watchdog Yet to Receive Formal Notification on Grab-GoTo Merger
Mar 20, 2025 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Self-Preferencing
Feb 26, 2025 by
CPI
Platform Self-Preferencing: Focusing the Policy Debate
Feb 26, 2025 by
Michael Katz
Weaponized Opacity: Self-Preferencing in Digital Audience Measurement
Feb 26, 2025 by
Thomas Hoppner & Philipp Westerhoff
Self-Preferencing: An Economic Literature-Based Assessment Advocating a Case-By-Case Approach and Compliance Requirements
Feb 26, 2025 by
Patrice Bougette & Frederic Marty
Self-Preferencing in Adjacent Markets
Feb 26, 2025 by
Muxin Li