iRobot Scores Injunction in Lawsuit

A Massachusetts court agreeded with iRobot that competitor Robot FX used trade secrets in the design of its Negotiator bot, and barred the company from using them.

It may not be quite as exciting as the robot wars that play out in movies and television, but a battle between two robot manufacturers is raging now –  in courtrooms. Massachusetts-based iRobot filed suit against Robotic FX back in August for allegedly infringing on trade secrets from iRobot’s PackBot robot, and on Monday, iRobot announced it had secured an injunction in the case that will prevent the Robot FX from using “critical features” in its competing robot’s design.

IRobot alleged that Robot FX’s Negotiator robot used tracks and a process to manufacture them that were both stolen from iRobot. The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, in granting the injunction, agreed that the tracks and manufacturing process qualified as trade secrets.

The company sought the injunction because its team believed Jameel Ahed, a former iRobot employee and current employee of Robot FX, was attempting to destroy evidence needed for the case. The court issued the injunction late Friday, and ordered a trial by April 7, 2008.