FANUC Robotics America Files Lawsuit Against Four Companies for Infringing Patented Robot Technology
ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich., Nov. 29, 2004 -- FANUC Robotics America today filed a lawsuit against four companies, claiming patent infringement of three of FANUC Robotics' patents related to the safe, efficient, and economical use of robots in hazardous environments.
The defendants named in FANUC Robotics' lawsuit are Behr Systems, Inc., its parent company Durr AG of Germany, Motoman, Inc., and its parent company Yaskawa Electric Corporation of Japan.
FANUC Robotics' lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, claims that the defendants have manufactured and sold products that incorporate FANUC Robotics' patented technology and that are being used in a variety of industrial robot systems, including those used throughout the automotive manufacturing industry for painting applications.
FANUC Robotics, the only U.S. manufacturer of paint robots, employs over 1,000 people from its Rochester Hills, Michigan facility. FANUC Robotics' lawsuit seeks an award of unspecified damages and an injunction requiring the defendants to cease all manufacturing, use, and sale of infringing products.
"We are proud to be an American company leading the world in paint robot technology, and we intend to protect our investment in this technology," said Rick Schneider, the company's CEO.
FANUC Robotics America (http://www.fanucrobotics.com/ ) is the sole domestic manufacturer of electric paint robots for use in hazardous industrial environments.
In addition to its manufacturing paint robots and integrating them into systems, FANUC Robotics is also the leading supplier of robots in the Americas, with more than 60,000 robots installed in this market. FANUC Robotics' robots are utilized in assembling, painting, palletizing, packing, welding, dispensing, cutting, laser processing, material handling, and other emerging applications. FANUC Robotics provides robots to a variety of industries, including automotive, fabricated metals, medical devices, and plastics.
>