ST. PAUL, Minn. & FRANKFURT, Germany (Business Wire) -- 3M Unitek, doing business as TOP-Service fuer Lingulatechnik GmbH, and 3M Deutschland GmbH, announced today that they have served Guangzhou Riton Biomaterial Co., Ltd. (Riton) with a lawsuit alleging infringement of 3M's patent related to lingual orthodontic braces.

3M's European Patent 1474064, “Modular System for Customized Orthodontic Appliances” covers 3M™ Unitek™ Incognito™ Lingual Braces. Incognito lingual braces address the demand for effective and invisible orthodontic solutions. Unlike conventional braces, the Incognito system is bonded to the tongue side of teeth.

3M is alleging infringement against Riton's e-Brace™ lingual bracket system and requesting that the court stop Riton from infringing 3M's patent and award damages. 3M continues to invest in extensive research and new laboratory methods to improve orthodontic solutions for patients and is committed to protecting its intellectual property and patent portfolio.

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3M captures the spark of new ideas and transforms them into thousands of ingenious products. Our culture of creative collaboration inspires a never-ending stream of powerful technologies that make life better. 3M is the innovation company that never stops inventing. With $30 billion in sales, 3M employs 84,000 people worldwide and has operations in more than 65 countries. For more information, visit www.3M.com or follow @3MNews on Twitter.

3M, Unitek and Incognito are trademarks of 3M.

3M
Donna Fleming Runyon, 651-736-7646