We highlight recent positive developments for AutoStore in the European litigation as follows:
· Last week, the European Patent Office upheld the validity of a key AutoStore patent – the second in this patent family that the EPO has upheld – which is part of our ongoing action in the U.K.
· We also sharpened our ongoing action in the U.K. proceedings to focus on three particular patents, and we are in the midst of adding two more patents to the suit. We took this action to further strengthen our patent infringement case against Ocado.
· In proceedings before the Mannheim District Court last month, Ocado’s request for an injunction against AutoStore’s Black Line robots, based on one of its German utility models, was not granted. The Court considered that the Ocado utility model was likely to be invalid and accordingly invited further submissions from Ocado, pending a further hearing next month. Other proceedings in relation to the Black Line range of robots are ongoing but will have no commercial impact on AutoStore.
None of these legal developments affects the operations or success of our growing global business. As the pioneer of cube storage automation, we have secured hundreds of patents since our founding. As demonstrated by the launch of the R5+ robot on the 13th January 2022, AutoStore continues to develop the next generation of robots and solutions to remain the technology leader in this space. AutoStore now has more than 770 systems in 40 countries, is represented in a variety of industries, and our business continues to grow worldwide.
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