Bedford-based iRobot has sued five German companies, alleging that they violated a patent by selling a vacuuming robot similar to the Roomba.
The suit was filed in the District Court of Dusseldorf in Germany on June 14, according to a company announcement.
“iRobot has made significant investments to protect its intellectual property. The company has sold more than 9 million home robots worldwide and intends to protect its patent portfolio by the appropriate means available domestically and abroad,” said Colin Angle, chairman and chief executive officer of iRobot.
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The companies named in the suit were Elektrogeräte Solac Vertrieb GmbH, Electrodomésticos Solac S.A, Celaya, Emparanza y Galdos Internacional S.A, and Pardus GmbH.
The Roomba is one of many robots developed by iRobot. Others have been developed to be used for defense and security.
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iRobot reached a settlement with New Majestic S.p.A. in a dispute over patents in Italy in 2011.
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