| Ouster targets lidar rival Hesai with patent-infringement lawsuit |
Hesai Group said it will "vigorously defend itself" against allegations of patent infringement by Ouster, a rival company.
The Shanghai lidar maker is facing a patent-infringement lawsuit and a U.S. International Trade Commission complaint by Ouster, a San Francisco lidar maker. Ouster says Hesai stole information from five of its lidar patents, while Hesai claims its designs and technology are original.
"We believe Ouster's complaints are deeply flawed and lack merit," Hesai CEO Yifan David Li said in a statement this week. "We invest heavily in proprietary research and development. We have more than 700 staff working in our R&D and manufacturing teams."
Ouster asked the International Trade Commission to investigate imports of Hesai lidar sensors that the company says infringe on its patents, and it is seeking a cease-and-desist order to bar the import of those products to the U.S. Ouster also sued for patent infringement in U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, asking for monetary damages and an injunction.
Hesai previously settled a patent case with Velodyne, a lidar maker that merged with Ouster in February, by paying "millions" over patents in Germany, China and the U.S. in 2020, according to Ouster.
— Molly Boigon
What you need to know
