Ocado sued by Norway rival Autostore in warehouse technology patent row

Ocado is facing allegations that its robot-operated warehouse technology has infringed a rival company's patents.

The online grocery firm, which has built a surge in its market value in recent years on the sale of such systems, is being sued by Norwegian robotics company AutoStore.

It has filed lawsuits in both the US and UK to seek financial damages, which could run into hundreds of millions of pounds, and an end to Ocado's lucrative partnerships covering the rollout of the automated warehouse technology.

Ocado responded by saying it had not been notified about the legal action but indicated it would fight any such claims.

The Norwegian company argues that its storage system and robots are the foundation on which the Ocado Smart Platform was built on - adding that Ocado was a customer until 2012.

Chief executive and president of AutoStore, Karl Johan Lier, said: "Since 1996, AutoStore has developed and pioneered technology that has revolutionised retail storage and order fulfilment, and is driving the growth of online retail.

"Our ownership of the technology at the heart of Ocado's warehousing system is clear.