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The Markets
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Retail

Ocado soars after settling three-year legal spat with AutoStore

Ocado Group PLC (LSE:OCDO) topped the FTSE 100 risers on Monday, with shares leaping 10% higher, after it settled a long-running intellectual property dispute with its Norwegian rival AutoStore.

In a statement, the online grocer and robotics company said AutoStore would pay it £200mln over two years, starting in July.

AutoStore, which provides robotics to customers including Ikea, Puma and Gucci, claimed in 2020 that Ocado had infringed its intellectual property and asked the US International Trade Commission to prevent the retailer from importing British-made robots to America.

Under this deal, all the patent litigation claims the companies filed will be withdrawn and both businesses will be allowed to continue to use and market their existing products, they both said.

The agreement gives access to part of each party's patent portfolio for them to use or develop their own products. It does not provide for collaboration, technology assistance or access to actual products.

In a statement, Ocado chief executive Tim Steiner said: “I am pleased that we have worked together to resolve our differences and can now continue to focus on what we do best - innovating, developing and enabling partners to access world-beating technology."

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