The American Association of Orthodontists, the largest society representing orthodontists in the United States and abroad, released consumer alert explaining potential risks associated with such services. Society and culture Lawsuits The litigious history in the clear aligner market prompted ClearCorrect to be proactive in addressing patent issues between itself and Align Technology. Align had previously filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission against OrthoClear Inc. In the end an agreement was made between Align and OrthoClear in which Align paid OrthoClear $20 million for its intellectual property and OrthoClear agreed to stop accepting cases in the United States. In 2009, Align Technology began to require that doctors prescribing Invisalign complete at least ten cases per year and ten hours of training in order to maintain their Invisalign provider status. In January 2010, 20,000 doctors had their certification suspended for not meeting the requirements, but a class action lawsuit regarding providers that paid for training under the original rules resulted in some certifications being re-instated. In February 2009, ClearCorrect filed a declaratory judgment against Align Technology. ClearCorrect claimed that some of Align's patents were invalid, and thus ClearCorrect's product did not infringe on Align’s patents. ClearCorrect voluntarily dismissed the suit in April 2009, after Align stated to the court that it had no intention of suing ClearCorrect for patent infringement. On February 28, 2011, Align Technology filed two lawsuits against ClearCorrect. Align alleged that under California’s Unfair Practices Act, that ClearCorrect sold products for a price below the average production cost, with the purpose of "destroying competition in the market for clear aligner systems". Align also claimed that ClearCorrect infringed eight of Align's patents. On May 12, 2011, ClearCorrect filed a countersuit against Align Technology, denying allegations that it is infringing on Align patents. In the countersuit, ClearCorrect alleged that Align's allegations are invalid and accused Align of patent misuse and double patenting. The countersuit cited much of the evidence raised in Align's previous patent case against Ormco, which resulted in a federal court ruling that 11 of Align's patent claims were invalid. Costs The cost of clear aligners is typically lower than their all-metal counterparts because of the materials and technology used. Prices are rarely impacted by factors such as the duration of the treatment and the extent of the issues requiring correction, as much as specific details of the treatment plan, time/age of treatment, location, the experience