The lawsuit, in which Palomar claims Candela is infringing its patent on a light-based hair removal device, was put on hold in November 2008 and the patent re-examined by the US patent office.

According to the company, the US patent office has now confirmed that the claims made in the Palomar patent are valid and patentable, meaning the lawsuit can continue.

“We look forward to restarting the patent infringement lawsuit against Candela as quickly as possible,” said CEO Joseph P. Caruso.