Robotics & Automation

Teradyne Robotics sues a JAKA unit over patents and settles with Elite

Editorial

By TrustList Editorial

The Copenhagen case could produce a ruling covering 17 of the 18 Unified Patent Court states. The Elite Robots dispute ended by confidential agreement with no admission of liability.

About Teradyne Robotics sues a JAKA unit over patents and settles with Elite

Teradyne Robotics sues a JAKA unit over patents and settles with Elite

1 October 2026: Teradyne Robotics, the Danish parent of Universal Robots, has filed a patent infringement case against a German subsidiary of China's JAKA at the Unified Patent Court's Local Division in Copenhagen. On 1 October it also announced that its separate dispute with Elite Robots had been resolved by mutual agreement. The patent allegations are the company's own and have not been tested in court.

Not yet independently verified. The infringement claims are Teradyne Robotics' allegations, and no JAKA response appears on the page. Patent numbers, the filing date and the Elite settlement terms are not published. We will update this when it can be confirmed, and remove this note.

The Copenhagen case

Teradyne Robotics A/S, a Danish subsidiary of Teradyne, Inc., announced the case from Odense on 27 August 2026. It says the patents cover both software and hardware and relate to its business unit Universal Robots A/S. The complaint covers a broad range of JAKA collaborative robot models marketed in the European Union, with no specific model named.

A ruling could take effect across 17 of the 18 EU member states that take part in the Unified Patent Court. The United Kingdom and Spain, which are outside the court's agreement, are also included. Teradyne Robotics says infringing acts appear to have occurred in Denmark and other member states, which is why it filed in Copenhagen.

Jean-Pierre Hathout, President of Teradyne Robotics Group, says: "This case is another clear demonstration that Teradyne Robotics will enforce its patents". He adds that the company cannot and will not accept companies that unlawfully copy protected technologies.

The German copyright case against Elite

The Copenhagen filing is the second European intellectual property case Teradyne Robotics has brought in 2026. The first was in Germany, where it alleged copyright infringement of Universal Robots software against Elite Robots Deutschland GmbH, the German subsidiary of Elite Robots. Teradyne Robotics sued in February, after sending a cease-and-desist letter, and announced the action on 10 March. The company also said it had alerted European safety authorities to concerns about Elite Robots' robots.

On 21 April the Regional Court of Hamburg issued a preliminary injunction. It barred Elite Robots Germany from offering or distributing the infringing software, and any products containing it, in Germany until further notice, and required it to give full information on the acts and on the customers it supplied. Teradyne Robotics said the ruling was not final and that it planned to act against distributors and partners that kept offering the software. Hathout said it was "a clear indication that we have a very strong case".

How the Elite dispute ended

On 1 October the company announced that the Elite Robots dispute was resolved. The terms are confidential, and the statement says the settlement does not constitute an admission by Elite Robots regarding liability. It does not address infringement, the validity of intellectual property or other disputed issues, and the release says the outcome reflects both parties' interest in avoiding continuing legal costs and time.

Jette Withers, Chief Legal Officer of Teradyne Robotics, says: "The parties have resolved their pending legal dispute by mutual agreement."

The statement adds that Teradyne Robotics will keep investing in research and development, in safe, reliable and innovative automation technologies, and in protecting its intellectual property worldwide.

The European survey figures behind the March release

When it announced the German case, the company called on policymakers and industry leaders to strengthen intellectual property enforcement in Europe. It cited survey figures: 48 percent of manufacturers expect robotics to be the most transformative technology by 2030, 68 percent name productivity as the main driver of automation, and 84 percent report a positive employee response to robot automation.

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