Teradyne Robotics Sues JAKA at Europe's Unified Patent Court
Teradyne Robotics filed a patent infringement case against JAKA's German unit at the UPC on August 27 — its second European IP fight of 2026, and one that could touch 19 countries at once.
Teradyne Robotics A/S, the Danish parent of Universal Robots, filed a patent infringement case against the German subsidiary of Chinese cobot maker JAKA on August 27 at the Unified Patent Court’s Local Division in Copenhagen. The filing accuses JAKA of infringing both software and hardware patents tied to the Universal Robots business, covering what Teradyne describes only as “a broad range” of JAKA’s collaborative robot models sold across the EU. Because the UPC’s rulings can extend across 17 of the bloc’s 18 participating member states plus the UK and Spain, a single decision here could restrict JAKA’s cobot sales in up to 19 countries at once, if Teradyne ultimately wins.
No patent numbers, accused JAKA model names, or requested damages figure appear in Teradyne’s public announcement or in the trade press covering it. This is a filed case, not a ruling — nothing has been decided, and JAKA has not issued a public response as of this story’s publication.
Who’s involved, and why it matters
Universal Robots is the company that effectively created the modern collaborative robot category in 2008, and it remains the cobot market’s best-known name. Teradyne, Inc., a US test-equipment maker, acquired Universal Robots in 2015 and folded it into a “Teradyne Robotics” group alongside Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR), the AMR maker it bought in 2018. UR’s line in Industrial Robotics Hub’s own database ranges from the compact UR3e up through the UR15, UR20, and UR30 — the UR15, released in 2024, is UR’s fastest cobot to date at 17.5 kg of payload, a 1,300 mm reach, and a 5 m/s tool-center-point speed, and it’s the robot pictured in Teradyne’s own announcement of this case.
JAKA, founded in Shanghai in 2014, is one of the larger Chinese cobot manufacturers competing for the same customers as UR: system integrators and plant buyers doing palletizing, machine tending, and light assembly. JAKA’s line spans 18 models in IRH’s own database, from the compact Mini2 and MiniCobo up through the heavier-payload Zu and A-series arms, positioned as lower-cost alternatives to Western and Japanese cobots. Neither Teradyne’s release nor either trade outlet’s coverage names which specific JAKA models are accused, so this story does not assign the claim to any single model — treat any suggestion of a specific accused robot as unconfirmed.
The venue matters as much as the accusation. The Unified Patent Court opened in 2023 as a shared court system that lets a single infringement case bind patent enforcement across most of the EU at once, replacing the older approach of litigating country by country. A UPC win doesn’t just block sales in Germany, where JAKA’s named subsidiary is based — it can reach the entire participating bloc plus the UK and Spain in one stroke, exactly why a company chasing a European-wide result would choose it over a single national court.
What Teradyne is saying
Teradyne Robotics Group president Jean-Pierre Hathout framed the filing as continuity, not a one-off: “This case is another clear demonstration that Teradyne Robotics will enforce its patents and intellectual property (IP) rights against what we consider to be illegal and unfair copying and infringement, across both hardware and software.” That “another” is doing real work in the sentence — Teradyne Robotics has fought this fight before in 2026, just not at the UPC and not against JAKA.
The Robot Report reported in March 2026 that Teradyne Robotics sued Elite Robots’ German subsidiary in German courts, alleging copyright infringement of Universal Robots’ software, following a cease-and-desist letter. That case was narrower than the new JAKA filing — a single-country copyright claim rather than a multi-country patent case — and predates this week’s announcement by roughly five months. Universal Robots’ and Robotics and Automation News’ coverage of the JAKA filing both reference “a separate copyright infringement action” filed in Germany earlier in 2026 without naming the defendant; The Robot Report’s March reporting on Elite Robots is the only source in this desk’s research that identifies who that earlier defendant was, and it’s treated here as background on a distinct, earlier case, not as a source for the new JAKA filing’s facts.
Read together, the two cases show a company moving on two fronts: a narrower, single-country copyright claim against one competitor, and a broader multi-country patent claim at the UPC against a second, larger one — structured to hit as many markets as possible in one filing.
What to watch
Nothing here is resolved. Teradyne has filed a case; it has not won one. The UPC process from filing to a first-instance ruling typically runs well over a year, and JAKA can contest infringement, challenge the patents’ validity, or settle at any point before then. The scope of the claim — unnamed patents, unnamed models, “a broad range” of JAKA’s EU-marketed cobots — is broad enough that its real-world impact will hinge entirely on details neither company has made public yet: which patents, which products, and what remedy Teradyne is actually seeking (an injunction against future sales, damages on past sales, or both).
What is already clear is the pattern: this is Teradyne Robotics’ second European IP action against a Chinese cobot competitor in roughly five months, and the venue choice signals it wants the broadest possible geographic reach, not a narrower national result. For an industry where Chinese cobot makers have spent years underpricing established Western brands on the same basic six-axis, power-and-force-limited hardware category, a UPC precedent either way would matter well beyond this one case.
For background on the UR15 pictured in Teradyne’s own announcement, see its full spec sheet on the Universal Robots UR15 robot page. For JAKA’s full collaborative-robot lineup, see the JAKA brand page and this desk’s JAKA robots buyer’s guide. For the safety standards that govern how cobots like these are certified to work near people, see this desk’s coverage of ISO 10218-1:2025, and for general background on the collaborative-robot category both companies compete in, see the cobot type hub.
Sources
- Collaborative robot leader Teradyne Robotics files patent infringement against Chinese robot competitor at European Court — Universal Robots, Aug 27, 2026
- Teradyne Robotics launches patent infringement case against Chinese competitor at European patent court — Robotics and Automation News, Aug 27, 2026
- Collaborative robot market leader Teradyne Robotics starts patent infringement case against Chinese robot competitor at European patent court — RoboticsTomorrow, Aug 27, 2026
- Teradyne Robotics sues Chinese cobot maker over UR software — The Robot Report, Mar 10, 2026
Robots mentioned
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Frequently asked questions
What exactly is Teradyne Robotics accusing JAKA of? +
Patent infringement, not copyright. Teradyne Robotics A/S — the Danish company that owns Universal Robots — says a broad range of collaborative robot models sold by JAKA's German subsidiary across the EU infringe both software and hardware patents it holds. Neither Teradyne's press release nor the trade press covering the filing names specific patent numbers or specific JAKA models.
What is the Unified Patent Court, and why file there instead of in one country? +
The UPC is a shared patent court that 17 of the EU's 18 participating member states created so a single infringement ruling can apply across all of them at once, instead of a company having to sue separately in Germany, France, Italy, and so on. Teradyne filed this case in the UPC's Copenhagen Local Division. Because the ruling can also extend to the UK and Spain through parallel arrangements, the case's reach spans up to 19 countries from one filing.
Has JAKA responded, and has any ruling been made? +
No public JAKA response and no ruling had been reported as of this story's publication. This is a case filing, not a verdict — any injunction, damages award, or product-sales restriction would come later, if the court finds in Teradyne's favor.
Is this Teradyne Robotics' first patent or copyright fight in Europe this year? +
No, its second. The Robot Report reported that Teradyne Robotics sued Elite Robots' German subsidiary in German courts around March 2026, alleging copyright infringement of Universal Robots' software — a separate, earlier case from the new UPC patent filing against JAKA.
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