ODENSE, Denmark, March 10, 2026, 18:41 CET Universal Robots
Teradyne Robotics, a unit of Teradyne Inc, said on Tuesday it had taken legal action in Germany against the German subsidiary of China’s Elite Robots, alleging copyright infringement of Universal Robots software. The unit also said it had alerted European safety authorities to concerns related to Elite Robots’ machines.
The move puts Teradyne’s smaller robotics business into a legal fight as the U.S. group tries to protect its software and safety record in collaborative robots, or cobots, which are designed to work alongside people on factory floors and in warehouses. Teradyne Robotics said it owns both Universal Robots and Mobile Industrial Robots, known as MiR.
It lands as Teradyne leans on growth in both robotics and chip testing after forecasting in February that all of its businesses would expand this year. In the latest quarter, robotics generated $89 million of revenue, against $883 million from semiconductor test, the far larger business.
Jean-Pierre Hathout, president of the Teradyne Robotics Group, said the company was acting to defend its intellectual property and make sure customers had access to “safe and high-quality solutions.” He added that “both automation and innovation are critical to Europe’s future.” Universal Robots
Teradyne Robotics said it believed it had “irrefutable evidence” of copyright infringement, had already sent a cease-and-desist letter to Elite Robots’ German affiliate and had now referred the matter to German courts. It also argued that some rivals were willing to copy proprietary hardware or software and undercut on price. Universal Robots
Elite Robots’ English-language news page did not show a statement on the allegations on Tuesday. Its most recent item there was dated Feb. 10.
Teradyne shares were up about 4.1% in U.S. afternoon trading on Tuesday. The company said on Feb. 2 that fourth-quarter revenue rose 44% to $1.083 billion, helped by AI-related demand in compute, networking and memory, and Chief Executive Greg Smith said he expected “year-over-year growth across all of our businesses” in 2026. Teradyne, Inc.
That has kept Teradyne in focus well beyond robotics. Reuters has reported that the company sells automated test equipment used to check semiconductor performance and reliability before chips go into products ranging from smartphones to AI data-center hardware.
But the Germany case could take time, and Teradyne will have to prove its claims in court. The company also warned in February that delayed orders from major customers, supply shortages, tariffs and export controls could hit results, underscoring broader risks beyond this court fight.
Investors may get another update on Wednesday, when Teradyne is scheduled to appear at Cantor Fitzgerald’s Global Technology & Industrial Growth Conference.
