Robot dogs: Boston Dynamics and Ghost Robotics settle patent dispute

The two robotics companies Boston Dynamics and Ghost Robotics reached an agreement on Wednesday to settle a patent dispute before a US federal district court. In 2022, Boston Dynamics had sued Ghost Robotics for infringement of several patents relating to the Spot robot dog.

Specifically, the case concerned seven patents held by Boston Dynamics, which the company claimed were infringed by Ghost Robotics with its four-legged robot dogs Vision 60 and Sprint 40. A years-long legal dispute ensued. Ghost Robotics complained that Boston Dynamics was using its financial resources to obstruct its competitor by filing a lawsuit. “Boston Dynamics is using its far greater resources to litigate rather than innovate,” Ghost Robotics said at the time.

Dispute about more than just patents

However, the dispute was not just about patents. Apparently, Ghost Robotics' ambivalent stance on the issue of arming robots was also a thorn in Boston Dynamics' side. In an open letter, Boston Dynamics and other robotics companies had condemned the weaponization of general-purpose robots. Ghost Robotics, on the other hand, had shown its four-legged robot armed with a machine gun.

The exact content of the agreement now reached to settle the patent dispute is unclear. Both companies have agreed not to disclose the details.

Cooperation instead of dispute

It now appears that Boston Dynamics and Ghost Robotics are going in for a cuddle and want to pull together in the future. In a joint statement, both companies emphasized that they were happy to have settled the dispute “on mutually beneficial terms”. In the future, they want to work together instead of fighting each other.

The two companies have already found a common field of cooperation. They intend to advance robotics “in the US and around the world”.

“Currently, the United States does not have a national robotics strategy,” explains Jason Fiorillo, Chief Legal Officer (CLO) of Boston Dynamics. “Countries like China are investing heavily in robotics and AI and are setting aggressive goals at the national level to accelerate the technology. Without more direct interest and engagement from policymakers, the U.S. risks falling behind.”

Boston Dynamics and Ghost Robotics now want to find ways to counter China's burgeoning supremacy in robotics. That is why representatives of the two companies want to meet soon. The aim is to discuss “political proposals” that will benefit both their companies, as well as the entire industry in the USA.

(olb)