German court sides with Teradyne Robotics, grants injunction against Elite Robots

Teradyne's subsidiary Universal Robots recently showcased its mobile manipulator equipped with a UR collaborative robot arm at the MODEX trade show. Source: Teradyne

As the Hannover Messe trade show kicked off in Germany this week, the Regional Court of Hamburg granted a preliminary injunction against Elite Robots Deutschland GmbH. The ruling comes in response to a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by Teradyne Robotics A/S.

Teradyne Robotics, a unit of Teradyne Inc., initiated legal action against Elite Robots' German subsidiary last month. This followed a cease-and-desist letter accusing the Chinese manufacturer of force- and power-limited robots of infringing upon the proprietary software of Universal Robots A/S, a Teradyne subsidiary and leader in the collaborative robot market.

"At Teradyne Robotics, we have decided to take a firm stance against competitors who copy our proprietary hardware or software designs, and we are naturally satisfied with this court ruling," said Jean-Pierre Hathout, President of the Teradyne Robotics Group. "We believe we possess compelling evidence of copyright infringement. While this is not a final judgment, it strongly indicates that our legal position is robust."

Teradyne monitors infringement threat

"Our investigation was prompted by the growing competition from numerous small companies," David Brandt, Vice President of Research and Development and Chief Technology Officer at Universal Robots in Odense, Denmark, told The Robot Report.

David Brandt, CTO of Universal Robots. Source: LinkedIn

"Many low-cost collaborative robot variants are entering the market," he explained. "Elite was one we examined, and their product bore a striking resemblance to ours. Our U.S. team analyzed the software and found it to be very similar to our own software running on their robots."

"We are confident in the strength of our evidence," Brandt added. "This action is not about opposing fair competition; it is about addressing technology theft. We welcome competition that drives improvement, but competing against companies using our own technology crosses a clear line."

Brandt informed the Danish newspaper Børsen that Elite Robots' software included a feature allowing users to disable safety settings. Teradyne Robotics has alerted safety authorities in Denmark, Germany, and the United States.

The Robot Report contacted Elite Robots for comment but has not received a response. Founded in 2016, the Shanghai-based company has expanded into Western markets, claiming over 10,000 deployments across more than 35 countries, along with holding over 200 patents and intellectual property assets.

Court orders Elite Robots to provide information

Under the court's order, Elite Robots Germany is immediately barred from offering or distributing the allegedly infringing software and any products containing it within Germany, pending further proceedings. Teradyne's legal team has reportedly requested the company cease its exhibition at Hannover Messe.

Furthermore, the court mandated Elite Robots Germany to provide detailed information regarding the alleged infringements and to disclose data about its customers who received the software. A trial date has not yet been scheduled.

Teradyne Robotics stated it is prepared to pursue legal action against Elite Robots' distributors and partners if they continue to offer the contested software.

"Automation and innovation are vital for our industrial future," Hathout emphasized. "We cannot stand by while companies unlawfully replicate protected technologies. Such actions stifle research and innovation and erode customer trust and experience."

"Teradyne Robotics is fully dedicated to safeguarding our intellectual property and ensuring automation customers have access to the safe, innovative, and high-quality solutions they expect," he concluded.

Teradyne alleges that Elite Robots' collaborative robots and software closely mimic its own. Source: Elite Robots

Legal disputes escalate as competition intensifies

As global competition in robotics and AI heats up, a rise in intellectual property disputes is expected. For example, at last month's LogiMAT, Ocado involved German police to shut down Brightpick's booth under an injunction for alleged patent infringement.

Elite Robots covered its collaborative robot at Hannover Messe. Credit: The Robot Report source

However, authorities found no violations, allowing Brightpick to exhibit its mobile picking robots without further issues for the rest of that event and at MODEX the following week. Ocado had settled a separate patent dispute with AutoStore in 2023.

In February 2026, a Chinese court rejected Luweimei Co.'s claims against legged robot maker Unitree. In another case involving legged robots, Boston Dynamics resolved a patent lawsuit with Ghost Robotics last year.

Many of these disputes involve companies from different countries accusing each other of intellectual property copying.

"Teradyne Robotics has been significantly impacted by sluggish growth in European industrial production, which declined by 2.5% in 2024," reported Børsen. "The company's revenue fell by 15.5% last year, with turnover around DKK 2 billion [$310 million U.S.]."

While the installed base of industrial robots has decreased in Europe and the U.S. according to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), over half of all robots installed in 2024 were in China. The VDMA Robotics + Automation Association warned in February that Germany is losing ground in robotics.