iRobot Corp. said it has reached a confidential agreement with Black & Decker regarding a patent infringement suit. In April, the company took legal action against five floor care suppliers, claiming that each of the companies had used its patented technology without permission.
According to the company, as part of the agreement, Black & Decker agreed to discontinue sales of all home robotic vacuums for a certain period of time after selling through its existing inventory. The remaining terms of the settlement are confidential.
“This settlement represents another successful milestone in the enforcement effort iRobot initiated earlier this year,” said Glen Weinstein, evp/chief legal officer at iRobot. “iRobot believes in the strength of its patents, and the agreement by Black & Decker to discontinue sales of any home robotic vacuums for a certain period of time signifies, yet again, the value of iRobot’s intellectual property.”
As part of the agreement, iRobot has agreed to remove Black & Decker from the pending U.S. International Trade Commission investigation and the United States District Court of Massachusetts case. The actions involving Bissell Homecare, Inc., bObsweep, Inc., bObsweep USA, Hoover, Shenzhen ZhiYi Technology Co., Ltd., Matsutek Enterprises Co., Ltd., and Shenzhen Silver Star Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. will proceed. An evidentiary hearing in the ITC investigation is scheduled for March 2018.