AutoStore suing Ocado over its warehousing technology
Automated technology company AutoStore has filed patent infringement lawsuits in the United States and the United Kingdom against the grocery retailer and warehousing technology provider Ocado, it announced on Thursday.
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The Norwegian firm said it was seeking court orders barring Ocado and its partner, Tharsus Group, from manufacturing, importing, using and selling technology that infringes its patents, as well as monetary damages.
It claimed Ocado had signed agreements with retailers including American grocery giant Kroger, and British retailers Marks & Spencer and Morrisons, which apparently rely on the continued infringement of AutoStore’s intellectual property.
AutoStore said it has filed complaints with the US International Trade Commission, the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, and the High Court of England and Wales.
“Since 1996, AutoStore has developed and pioneered technology that has revolutionized retail storage and order fulfillment, and is driving the growth of online retail,” said AutoStore chief executive officer and president Karl Johan Lier.
“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.”