Autostore to Pay Ocado $257 Million to End Global Patent Dispute

AutoStore Holdings Ltd., a Norwegian robotics company, will pay £200 million ($257 million) to UK software company Ocado Group Plc to settle a global dispute over patent infringements.

(Bloomberg) — AutoStore Holdings Ltd., a Norwegian robotics company, will pay £200 million ($257 million) to UK software company Ocado Group Plc to settle a global dispute over patent infringements.

As part of the agreement, the companies will withdraw their actions against each other, Autostore and Ocado said in separate statements on Saturday. AutoStore will make the payment in 24 monthly installments, starting this month, Ocado said.

The two firms have been locked in a global legal fight for years over Ocado’s warehouse system, where robots move thousands of customer orders as they glide around a chessboard-like grid.

The agreement gives access to part of each party’s patent portfolio for them to use or develop their own products, the companies said. It doesn’t provide for collaboration, technology assistance or access to actual products, they added.  

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