Collaborative robot arms from JAKA Robotics (left) and Universal Robots.
Get the popcorn ready. The patent fight between Teradyne Robotics and JAKA Robotics has turned into a full-blown public brawl.
Teradyne, parent company of Universal Robots,sued JAKA’s German subsidiary last week, alleging infringement of patents covering hardware and software used in its cobot arms. Today, JAKA hit back, saying it has gone to court seeking injunctive relief over what it calls Teradyne’s “false, misleading, and damaging” public statements about the lawsuit.
JAKA sent a lengthy press release toThe Robot Report, which you can read at the bottom of this article. JAKA toldThe Robot Reportit received no direct communication fromTeradyne Roboticsor its legal representatives about the alleged infringement. JAKA also said it has not seen any legal documents or court notices related to the case. The company said it learned of the allegations only through Teradyne Robotics’ social media announcement and subsequent press inquiries.
JAKA said its legal advisers found that, as of Sept. 2, no patent infringement proceedings had been filed or opened against the company. At press time,The Robot Reportalso had found no court documents related to a case between the two companies.
JAKA pushed back on the substance of Teradyne Robotics’ allegations. The company said it develops its own technology through years of independent R&D, holds more than 300 granted patents worldwide, and commissioned two independent freedom-to-operate analyses before entering the European market. JAKA said neither analysis flagged any infringement concerns.
JAKA also took aim at Teradyne’s suggestions that its products are lower quality or less safe, characterizing those statements as tied to “the company’s Chinese origin” and calling them unsubstantiated. JAKA argued that collaborative robot safety depends on the full application, including its design, integration, configuration, and risk assessment, rather than the manufacturer’s country of origin.
The company characterized Teradyne Robotics’ public statements as an attempt to create “anti-competitive uncertainty” in the market.
The Robot Reportreached out to Teradyne Robotics for comment on JAKA’s response. Here is the full response from David Brandt, vice president of research and development and chief technology officer at Universal Robots:
“I can assure you that we have filed the case with the courts in Copenhagen. If [it] has not yet been served to JAKA, it may be due to the time required by the courts, but they should receive it shortly.
“Regarding their freedom-to-operate analysis, they have apparently not done a very good job if they failed to identify our patents. We also find the number of patents JAKA claims to hold irrelevant to this case. This matter concerns their infringement of our patents. Furthermore, the number of patents is generally irrelevant, as it is not about the quantity of patents but the strength of the patents.
“In relation to their statements about legal action in Germany, we await further information, but we are not concerned. We have every right to defend our intellectual property and will continue to do so.”