IRobot Wins First Round in Bid to Ban SharkNinja Imports (1)

IRobot Corp. won the first round in its effort to block US imports of robotic vacuums sold by JS Global Lifestyle Co.’s SharkNinja, the Roomba maker’s biggest rival.

SharkNinja Operating LLC’s robotic vacuums infringe two valid patents of four that iRobot asserted, US International Trade Commission Judge MaryJoan McNamara said Friday in a notice posted on the agency’s electronic docket.

The judge found that SharkNinja infringes a third patent, but that was mooted by the US Patent and Trademark Office’s cancellation of those claims, the ruling says. McNamara found no infringement of the fourth patent. She also said ...