A patent infringement lawsuit has been filed in the Federal District Court of California by Ormco, Orange, Calif, against Lancer Orthodontics Inc, Vista, Calif, regarding the launch of Lancer’s DEFY™ SL passive self-ligating bracket.

The lawsuit claims that Lancer’s DEFY SL bracket infringes Ormco’s patents relating to the Damon System.

In a released statement, Lancer said it plans to vigorously defend its legal rights to commercialize DEFY SL, and expects to prevail in that endeavor.

“We are confident our design is genuine innovation, clear of any patent claims,” said Donald L. Tuttle, president of Lancer Orthodontics. “Leveraging our leadership’s decades of industry experience, clinical insight, and close relationships with orthodontic specialists, we feel we have designed a product that meets the needs of the customer, with unique features not currently available in the market.”