Scandi automation biz AutoStore slings patent sueball, claims it owns Ocado warehouse robot tech
(2020/10/01)
- Reference: 1601568006
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/10/01/autostore_ocado_robot_patent_lawsuit/
- Source link:
AutoStore, a Norwegian manufacturer of robotic warehouse storage and retrieval systems, is suing UK online retailer and tech biz Ocado.
The claimant alleges that the Ocado Smart Platform – which Ocado has sold to US retailer Kroger as well as British chains Marks & Spencer, and Morrisons – unlawfully infringes its patented technology.
AutoStore's system is based on storage bins stacked vertically in a grid and stored in a cubic structure. Bins retrieved by robots travel on the top of the structure. It currently supports more than 500 installations and 18,000 robots across 30 countries, serving markets from grocery and healthcare to aviation. The customer list includes supermarket Asda in the UK, Best Buy in the US, and Lufthansa in Germany.
Karl Johan Lier, CEO and president of AutoStore, said: "Our ownership of the technology at the heart of Ocado's warehousing system is clear. We will not tolerate Ocado's continued infringement of our intellectual property rights in its effort to boost its growth and attempt to transform itself into a global technology company."
AutoStore has filed complaints with the US International Trade Commission, US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, and the High Court of England and Wales. It seeks orders barring Ocado and its partners from manufacturing and selling infringing products and importing them into the United States, as well as financial damages.
In 2019, retailer Marks & Spencer bought a 50 per cent share of Ocado's retail business (Ocado Retail Ltd) for £750m, leaving the Ocado Group to focus on technology and automation.
In a statement to the London Stock Exchange today, Ocado [1]said : "Ocado confirms it has not received any papers in relation to these claims and this is the first we have heard of this new claim. We are not aware of any infringement of any valid AutoStore rights and of course we will investigate any claims once we receive further details.
"We have multiple patents protecting the use of our systems in grocery and we are investigating whether AutoStore has, or intends to infringe those patents. We will always vigorously protect our intellectual property." ®
Get our [2]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.investegate.co.uk/ocado-group-plc--ocdo-/rns/statement-regarding-autostore/202010011327228411A/
[2] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
The claimant alleges that the Ocado Smart Platform – which Ocado has sold to US retailer Kroger as well as British chains Marks & Spencer, and Morrisons – unlawfully infringes its patented technology.
AutoStore's system is based on storage bins stacked vertically in a grid and stored in a cubic structure. Bins retrieved by robots travel on the top of the structure. It currently supports more than 500 installations and 18,000 robots across 30 countries, serving markets from grocery and healthcare to aviation. The customer list includes supermarket Asda in the UK, Best Buy in the US, and Lufthansa in Germany.
Karl Johan Lier, CEO and president of AutoStore, said: "Our ownership of the technology at the heart of Ocado's warehousing system is clear. We will not tolerate Ocado's continued infringement of our intellectual property rights in its effort to boost its growth and attempt to transform itself into a global technology company."
AutoStore has filed complaints with the US International Trade Commission, US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, and the High Court of England and Wales. It seeks orders barring Ocado and its partners from manufacturing and selling infringing products and importing them into the United States, as well as financial damages.
In 2019, retailer Marks & Spencer bought a 50 per cent share of Ocado's retail business (Ocado Retail Ltd) for £750m, leaving the Ocado Group to focus on technology and automation.
In a statement to the London Stock Exchange today, Ocado [1]said : "Ocado confirms it has not received any papers in relation to these claims and this is the first we have heard of this new claim. We are not aware of any infringement of any valid AutoStore rights and of course we will investigate any claims once we receive further details.
"We have multiple patents protecting the use of our systems in grocery and we are investigating whether AutoStore has, or intends to infringe those patents. We will always vigorously protect our intellectual property." ®
Get our [2]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.investegate.co.uk/ocado-group-plc--ocdo-/rns/statement-regarding-autostore/202010011327228411A/
[2] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Mark192
Ocado said "We have multiple patents protecting the use of our systems in grocery and we are investigating whether AutoStore has, or intends to, infringe those patents."
Lawyers happy again :)
'storage bins stacked vertically'
Prior art ...
http://www.montypython.net/scripts/society.php