iRobot Corp. (IRBT) yesterday announced the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts has granted, in part, iRobot’s request for preliminary injunction in a lawsuit against former employee Jameel Ahed and his company, Robotic FX, Inc., prohibiting use of critical features incorporated in the design of the Negotiator.
iRobot produces the combat-proven iRobotr PackBotr robot, used extensively in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“We are pleased with the court’s decision,” Colin Angle, CEO of iRobot, said. “We stand ready to deliver our field-proven iRobot PackBots to aid our warfighters in their dangerous missions.”
While the precise terms of the order were issued under seal because they specify the trade secrets not to be infringed, U.S. District Judge Nancy Gertner found that iRobot is likely to succeed in its claim that Ahed misappropriated iRobot’s trade secrets and used such trade secrets in the development of Robotic FX’s robot tracks, iRobot said in a statement.
The court order said the iRobot PackBot track and the process by which it is manufactured appear to meet all of the necessary qualifications of a trade secret, the company said.
On Oct. 23, both iRobot and Robotic FX were notified that the Army had set aside its $280 million xBot contract award to Robotic FX for the Negotiator pending a reassessment of Robotic FX’s ability to deliver as a responsible contractor. The same letter also indicated that if Robotic FX is found unable to deliver as a responsible contractor, the xBot contract will be awarded to the next lowest technically qualified bidder, iRobot.
In addition to the lawsuit for trade secret misappropriation in which the preliminary injunction has been entered, iRobot has a separate lawsuit pending against Robotic FX for infringement of two U.S. patents in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama.
iRobot filed the lawsuits in August (Defense Daily, Aug. 21).
iRobot sought the preliminary injunction in the Massachusetts case after discovering that Ahed attempted to destroy evidence related to both lawsuits. The preliminary injunction decision, issued late Friday, is the first handed down in the Massachusetts case. The judge also ordered a trial date of no later than April 7, 2008.
In mid-October, iRobot received an $8.8 million delivery order from the Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation for the Robotic Systems Joint Project Office for 40 iRobot Packbots, spare parts and equipment. Delivery is expected to be completed by the end of June 2008.
iRobot has delivered more than 1,200 PackBot robots, which conduct dangerous missions while warfighters remain out of harm’s way.