iRobot Announces Favorable Initial Determination in Patent Dispute

iRobot Corp. , a leader in consumer robots and maker of the Roomba® robot vacuum, today announced that Administrative Law Judge MaryJoan McNamara issued an initial determination in favor of iRobot in the company’s patent infringement action against SharkNinja Operating LLC and its related entities (“SharkNinja”) at the International Trade Commission (“ITC”). The ruling recommended a limited exclusion order in International Trade Commission Investigation No.337-TA-1252 (“In the Matter of Certain Robotic Vacuum Floor Cleaning Devices and Components Thereof”), finding that Shark has infringed valid claims of multiple iRobot asserted patents. The initial determination recommends that the ITC issue an order barring the importation of various infringing SharkNinja robotic cleaning products.

Judge McNamara’s initial determination and recommended remedy is now before the ITC Commissioners, with a final determination expected by February 2023. If the recommended remedy is approved by the ITC Commissioners, the exclusion order as to the infringing products will go into effect upon publication of the Commissioners’ final determination, regardless of further appeals.

“This determination validates the strength of iRobot’s patent portfolio and the hard work of our engineers over the better part of the last two decades,” said Colin Angle, chairman and CEO of iRobot. “We are glad to see the ITC is holding SharkNinja accountable for its misappropriation of iRobot intellectual property. iRobot thanks ALJ McNamara and the ITC for their hard work in this case.”

This is iRobot’s second time securing an exclusion order against respondents at the ITC, and second time asserting a lawsuit against SharkNinja. A related district court case involving the patents in this lawsuit will remain pending until the conclusion of the ITC case.

About iRobot Corp.
iRobot is a global consumer robot company that designs and builds thoughtful robots and intelligent home innovations that make life better. iRobot introduced the first Roomba robot vacuum in 2002. Today, iRobot is a global enterprise that has sold millions of robots worldwide. iRobot’s product portfolio features technologies and advanced concepts in cleaning, mapping and navigation. Working from this portfolio, iRobot engineers are building robots and smart home devices to help consumers make their homes easier to maintain and healthier places to live. For more information about iRobot, please visit www.irobot.com.