BEDFORD, Mass., May 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- iRobot Corp.
(NASDAQ: IRBT), a leader in consumer robots and maker of the
Roomba® vacuuming robot, today announced that the United States
International Trade Commission (ITC) has voted to institute an
investigation into patent infringement by multiple entities
including Bissell Homecare, Inc., Hoover Inc., Royal Appliance
Manufacturing Co. Inc. d/b/a TTI Floor Care North America, Inc.,
bObsweep, Inc., bObsweep USA, The Black & Decker
Corporation, Black & Decker (U.S.) Inc., Shenzhen ZhiYi
Technology Co., Ltd. d/b/a iLife, Matsutek Enterprises Co., Ltd.,
Suzhou Real Power Electric Appliance Co., Ltd., and Shenzhen Silver
Star Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. (collectively, the
"Respondents").
The investigation is based on a previously announced complaint
filed by iRobot at the ITC against the Respondents on April 18, 2017, alleging infringement of six U.S.
patents.
The ITC's investigation will examine whether the Respondents
have infringed the asserted patents. If the ITC's investigation
determines that Respondents have engaged in patent infringement,
the ITC may issue an exclusion order to halt the importation of the
infringing products, as well as a cease-and-desist order to stop
the sale and marketing of the infringing products into the United States. ITC investigations proceed
on an expedited basis, commonly progressing to trial within a
year.
"iRobot is pleased with the ITC's decision to investigate the
alleged infringement by these respondents and looks forward to a
prompt and expeditious decision from the ITC," said Glen Weinstein, executive vice president and
chief legal officer of iRobot. "iRobot is committed to protecting
its valuable intellectual property as it continues to drive
innovation in consumer robotics worldwide."
Also related to the previously announced complaint, iRobot filed
patent infringement complaints against the Respondents at the
United States District of Massachusetts on April
17, 2017. Those cases are currently pending before the
Honorable Judge Sorokin.
The U.S. ITC Notice of Institution of Investigation can be found
here:
https://www.usitc.gov/secretary/fed_reg_notices/337/337_1057_notice_05172017sgl.pdf.
About iRobot Corp.
iRobot, the leading global consumer robot company, designs and
builds robots that empower people to do more both inside and
outside of the home. iRobot created the home robot cleaning
category with the introduction of its Roomba® Vacuuming Robot in
2002. Today, iRobot is a global enterprise that has sold more than
15 million robots worldwide. iRobot's product line, including the
Roomba and the Braava® family of mopping robots, feature
proprietary technologies and advanced concepts in cleaning, mapping
and navigation. iRobot's engineers are building an ecosystem of
robots and data to enable the smart home. For more information
about iRobot, please visit www.irobot.com.
For iRobot Investors
Certain statements made in this
press release that are not based on historical information are
forward-looking statements which are made pursuant to the safe
harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995. This press release contains express or implied
forward-looking statements relating to iRobot Corporation's
expectations concerning the litigation. These statements are
neither promises nor guarantees, but are subject to a variety of
risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control,
which could cause actual results to differ materially from those
contemplated in these forward-looking statements. Existing and
prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on
these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date
hereof. iRobot undertakes no obligation to update or revise the
information contained in this press release, whether as a result of
new information, future events or circumstances or otherwise. For
additional disclosure regarding these and other risks faced by
iRobot, see the disclosure contained in our public filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission including, without limitation,
our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and our Quarterly Report
on Form 10-Q.
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SOURCE iRobot Corp.