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On the left, AutoStore’s ASRS, and on the suitable, Ocado’s ASRS. | Source: AutoStore, Ocado
Yesterday, the UK High Court dominated that AutoStore’s patents, which have been the topic of a patent infringement case towards Ocado, have been invalid, and that Ocado didn’t infringe upon them. Both AutoStore and Ocado function automated storage and retrieval programs (ASRS) that function on related ideas.
AutoStore filed the lawsuit in October 2020, when it asserted that Ocado infringed upon six of its patents. The European Patent Office invalidated two of those patents earlier than judgment was made on the case, and two different patents have been withdrawn by AutoStore earlier than the listening to began.
Judge Hacon invalidated the remaining two patents as a result of AutoStore had disclosed its know-how publically in a enterprise take care of the Central Bank of Russia earlier than the corporate filed its patents. Halcon dominated that even when the patents have been legitimate, the Ocado Smart Platform (OSP) didn’t infringe on them. The choose additionally dominated that OSP didn’t infringe upon the patents that AutoStore selected to withdraw from the case.
An Ocado spokesperson mentioned, “As we have said consistently since the day the action was launched that we did not infringe any valid AutoStore patents. Once again a judge has proved we are right. And we have been proved right by courts both in the US and the UK. Autostore’s decision to sue us has been a complete waste of time – for us and them – and will now also be a further waste of money for them as we intend to seek a significant costs order against them.”
“This entire misguided exercise by AutoStore has simply served to show that it is Ocado that is the innovation factory with robust processes in place to protect and respect IP. Our fulfillment centers can freely operate in light of this judgment. And although AutoStore presented this litigation to the market as a one-way bet – either they would win or “the status quo would be maintained”, the precise final result of the litigation is {that a} vital variety of their patent property are being invalidated, their patent portfolio has been decreased and their IP has been weakened. Actions proceed towards AutoStore in Germany and the US for infringement of Ocado IP rights. The threat of infringement is now with AutoStore.”
In December 2021, AutoStore misplaced an analogous patent infringement lawsuit filed with the International Trade Commission (ITC). US ITC Judge Charles Bullock dominated three of AutoStore’s patents concerned within the case have been invalid, and that Ocado didn’t infringe upon the fourth patent within the trial.
The ASRS programs from each corporations function on related storage and retrieval ideas. Items are saved in bins stacked in a grid and retrieved by cell robots from above the stack.