US trade commission sides with iRobot, bans SharkNinja robot vacuum imports

The US International Trade Commission said on Tuesday it would ban imports of SharkNinja Operating LLC robot vacuums that infringe a patent owned by Roomba maker iRobot Corp.

The full commission upheld part of a trade judge’s October decision that SharkNinja violated two of its rival’s patents, affirming that SharkNinja’s devices mimicked iRobot navigation technology.

President Joe Biden’s administration has 60 days to review the import ban before it takes effect, though bans are rarely reversed. Parties can also appeal ITC decisions to the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit after the review period ends.