(Bloomberg) — Ocado Group Plc’s “swarm of robots” took center stage in a bitter patent infringement battle between the British firm and its Norwegian rival AutoStore Holdings Ltd. that threatens to slow its global expansion.
Ocado’s warehouse system, where robots move thousands of customer orders as they glide around a chessboard-like grid, has secured it partnerships with the likes of Kroger Co. in the U.S. and Coles Group Ltd. in Australia. AutoStore said its technology, in 45 countries, is the foundation of Ocado’s system, which if proved could force Ocado to change its designs.
The pair have been locked in a global legal fight since October 2020, with a series of disputes over patent infringement in multiple jurisdictions. Ocado won the U.S. case earlier this month, which AutoStore said it plans to appeal.
AutoStore’s lawyers said at the start of a London trial Tuesday that Ocado’s robots “plainly take, and infringe” three of their patents. “Ocado’s attempt to argue to the contrary involves taking a series of pretty tortuous and unmeritorious points,” Adrian Speck, AutoStore’s lawyer, said in a court filing.
Ocado denies the claim and also seeks declarations that modified versions of its existing robots as well as robots it has in development don’t infringe AutoStore’s patents.
A spokesperson for AutoStore declined to comment. A spokesperson for Ocado didn’t immediately comment on the case.
(Corrects timing of ruling in U.S. case in the third paragraph)
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