Investment accounts
Adult accounts
Child accounts
Choosing Fidelity
Choosing Fidelity
Why invest with us Current offers Fees and charges Open an account Transfer investments
Financial advice & support
Fidelity’s Services
Fidelity’s Services
Financial advice Retirement Wealth Management Investor Centre (London) Bereavement
Guidance and tools
Guidance and tools
Choosing investments Choosing accounts ISA calculator Retirement calculators
Share dealing
Choose your shares
Tools and information
Tools and information
Share prices and markets Chart and compare shares Stock market news Shareholder perks IPOs and placings
Pensions & retirement
Pensions, tax & tools
Saving for retirement
Approaching / In retirement
Approaching / In retirement
Speak to a specialist Creating a retirement plan Taking tax-free cash Pension drawdown Annuities Investing in retirement Investment Pathways
ITC rejects infringement claims against Ocado for second time
(Sharecast News) - Online grocer Ocado revealed on Friday that the International Trade Commission had rejected 33 claims from fulfilment business AutoStore that it had infringed upon its patents with its proprietary technology. Ocado, which has been locked in a series of legal battles with the Norwegian robot maker for a number of years, said all of the claims had now been rejected for a second time or abandoned by AutoStore, while AutoStore's key cavity bot patents, the UK versions of which were the only patents being asserted against Ocado in a High Court case starting next week, were all found to be invalid. A fourth, unrelated, patent was also held not to be infringed.
The London-listed group stated it would continue to actively pursue its claims against AutoStore for infringement of its own IP rights in both the United States and Europe, including its antitrust "Walker Process" claim against AutoStore in East Virginia and its infringement of five Ocado patents in New Hampshire.
Ocado anticipates court determinations injuncting AutoStore and awarding it with damages for the company's infringement of its patents.
The group added that it now expects "further vindication" in London's High Court in the weeks ahead, where AutoStore has already abandoned half of the patents in the case.
AJ Bell's Russ Mould said: "Fighting over patent infringement has been a major distraction for Ocado and may have acted as a deterrent for new customers signing up to its logistics platform. Not helping its cause on this front have been two fires caused by its warehouse bots.
"If Ocado can finally prove it isn't copying someone else's set-up, and that its bots are safe, it stands a better chance of accelerating the number of new customer sign-ups - something the market has been demanding ever since the pandemic showed the importance of having a robust, efficient online grocery operation."
Autostore said it intends to appeal the decision in a US federal court but stated it would discontinue its appeal in the European Patent Office in Germany given the patent was "no longer relevant" to its UK infringement case."
As of 0830 GMT, Ocado shares were up 4.48% at 1,235.50p.
Share this article
Related Sharecast Articles
Important information: This information is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment you should speak to one of Fidelity’s advisers or an authorised financial adviser of your choice. When you are thinking about investing in shares, it’s generally a good idea to consider holding them alongside other investments in a diversified portfolio of assets. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.
Award-winning online share dealing
Search, compare and select from thousands of shares.
Expert insights into investing your money
Our team of experts explore the world of share dealing.
Policies and important information
Accessibility | Conflicts of interest statement | Consumer Duty Target Market | Consumer Duty Value Assessment Statement | Cookie policy | Diversity and Inclusion | Doing Business with Fidelity | Fidelity gender pay report | Investing in Fidelity funds | Legal information | Modern slavery | Mutual respect policy | Privacy statement | Remuneration policy | Security | Statutory and Regulatory disclosures | Whistleblowing policy
Please remember that past performance is not necessarily a guide to future performance, the performance of investments is not guaranteed, and the value of your investments can go down as well as up, so you may get back less than you invest. When investments have particular tax features, these will depend on your personal circumstances and tax rules may change in the future. This website does not contain any personal recommendations for a particular course of action, service or product. You should regularly review your investment objectives and choices and, if you are unsure whether an investment is suitable for you, you should contact an authorised financial adviser. Before opening an account, please read the ‘Doing Business with Fidelity’ document which incorporates our client terms. Prior to investing into a fund, please read the relevant key information document which contains important information about the fund.
This website is issued by Financial Administration Services Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) (FCA Register number 122169) and registered in England and Wales under company number 1629709 whose registered address is Beech Gate, Millfield Lane, Lower Kingswood, Tadworth, Surrey, KT20 6RP.
