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Battle of the vac pack: iRobot sues Hoover and others

Watch out! Roomba is on the warpath.

Katie Collins Senior European Correspondent
Katie a UK-based news reporter and features writer. Officially, she is CNET's European correspondent, covering tech policy and Big Tech in the EU and UK. Unofficially, she serves as CNET's Taylor Swift correspondent. You can also find her writing about tech for good, ethics and human rights, the climate crisis, robots, travel and digital culture. She was once described a "living synth" by London's Evening Standard for having a microchip injected into her hand.
Katie Collins
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iRobot has been making Roombas since 2002.

It's go time for the robot wars, as iRobot sues Hoover , Black & Decker and other vacuum manufacturers, claiming they used its intellectual property without permission.

The company announced a series of lawsuits on Monday targeting Hoover, Black & Decker, Bobsweep and Bissell Homecare, according to the Boston Globe. The Massachusetts-based manufacturer of the popular Roomba robot vacuum cleaners accused its rivals of infringing patents it owns detailing technology and designs for autonomous floor-cleaning bots.

The company has been selling robot vacuum cleaners under the Roomba brand since 2002, with Hoover and Black & Decker only unveiling their rival products in 2016 and 2017, respectively.

"The filing of this litigation signals our commitment to protecting our investments," said iRobot spokesman James Baussmann in a statement to the Globe. "iRobot will not stand by while others offer products that infringe on our intellectual property."

Hoover and Black & Decker did not respond to requests for comment.