OTTO Motors Releases Statement on Waymo v. Ottomotto Lawsuit
CEO addresses concerns of brand confusion: OTTO™ Motors is not Ottomotto
(Kitchener, ON, Canada – March 7, 2017) OTTO™ Motors, a division of Clearpath Robotics Inc. and provider of self-driving vehicle technology and services, released a statement on behalf of its CEO, Matt Rendall, to address the Waymo v. Ottomotto LLC lawsuit. In light of the recent update, Rendall explains that OTTO Motors is not, and has never been, involved in this case or affiliated with any of the companies in the case.
On February 23, 2017 news broke that Waymo LLC, a subsidiary of Google, launched a lawsuit against Ottomotto LLC, recently acquired by Uber, for allegedly stealing self-driving vehicle designs and technology. Various media outlets have mistakenly reported citations of Ottomotto as OTTO Motors, risking negative associations to the OTTO Motors brand.
Clearpath Robotics Inc. CEO, Matt Rendall, released this statement in response to customer and media enquiries:
“We’ve received a significant number of media and customer enquiries regarding this lawsuit and other news relating to Ottomotto. Based on the impacts it’s having on our team and our brand, I want to take this opportunity to resolve confusion between the Ottomotto and OTTO Motors brands.
OTTO Motors is a division of Clearpath Robotics Inc. We design and develop self-driving vehicle technology for indoor industrial environments. We are not and have never been affiliated with Ottomotto or Uber.
Considering the confusion we’ve experienced between our OTTO™ brand and Ottomotto, it was incredibly important for me to differentiate our brand from theirs and ensure the public recognizes that we are not a part of this legal dispute.
This type of news has the potential to impact our brand reputation, business growth, customer base, culture and recruitment efforts. Being mistaken as Ottomotto has the potential to depreciate the goodwill of Clearpath Robotics and our affiliated brand, OTTO Motors.
Our company is focused on providing inspired robotic solutions, building a diverse and tight-knit team culture, and passionate about creating an industry fueled by next-generation technology. We’re excited to bring the world our technology and aim to do so without association with negatively-charged lawsuits. It’s an unfortunate case and I hope that Waymo and Ottomotto are able to come to a resolution quickly.”
Ottomotto was founded in 2016 and provides technology to enable self-driving trucks. Conversely, Rendall’s company released the first OTTO™ self-driving vehicle in September 2015 to help with automated material handling in factories, warehouses and distribution centers throughout North America.
The OTTO vehicle originally launched under its parent company Clearpath Robotics Inc., which was established in 2009 and is a worldwide leader in providing robotic development platforms. OTTO Motors was later started in 2016 as a division of Clearpath Robotics Inc to meet demand for its OTTO indoor self-driving vehicles for industry. Today, OTTO Motors provides inspired automation solutions to customers including GE, John Deere and Toyota.
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About OTTO Motors
OTTO Motors, a division of Clearpath Robotics Inc., provides self-driving vehicles designed exclusively for indoor material transport. The vehicles operate with infrastructure-free navigation, offering intelligent, safe, efficient, and reliable transportation within industrial centers. Proprietary hardware, software, and services are delivered to provide customer excellence. For more information, visit www.ottomotors.com.
About Clearpath Robotics Inc.
Clearpath Robotics Inc. provides industry-leading self-driving vehicle technology and services to over 500 of the world’s most innovative brands. Proprietary hardware, software, and services are delivered through the company’s research and industrial divisions: Clearpath™ Robotics and OTTO™ Motors. Visit www.clearpath.ai for more information. Clearpath, Clearpath Robotics and OTTO Motors are trademarks of Clearpath Robotics Inc.