New York City-based Candid Care sued Nashville, Tenn.-based SmileDirectClub Aug. 12 over patents related to SmileDirectClub's business model that sells teeth-straightening products directly to consumers, according to court documents viewed by Becker's.
Candid asked a judge to stop SmileDirectClub from making an infringement claim over a patent Candid says is basically the same as one already ruled invalid, according to federal court filings. Candid is suing SmileDirectClub in efforts to halt the company from suing them over SmileDirectClub's third patent, which was just issued Aug. 17, protecting its SmileShop and digital customer treatment journey.
In April 2020, SmileDirectClub filed a complaint for patent infringement against Candid, alleging the teledentistry company copied their model. SmileDirectClub lost its bid to revive a patent related to its clear aligner development process.
This article was updated with new information at 4:30 p.m. CT on Aug. 18.