Dispute between Carbon Robotics and Laudando & Associates: Agricultural tech firms comment on the legal conflict
In the agricultural technology industry, a significant legal battle is unfolding between Laudando & Associates (L&A) and Carbon Robotics. The federal court has granted Carbon Robotics a preliminary injunction against L&A, temporarily blocking the latter from manufacturing, using, or selling its machines in the United States until the case is resolved.
The injunction, issued in June 2025, is an early court order intended to prevent L&A from continuing activities alleged to infringe Carbon Robotics' patents. However, this injunction does not determine the ultimate validity of the patent or whether it was infringed; those issues will be decided later in the case during a Markman hearing, where the court interprets the patent claims.
Recently, there has been a motion to stay the case to allow L&A to obtain substitute legal counsel, but L&A objected to this stay, believing it could unfairly benefit Carbon Robotics by delaying L&A’s obligation to serve infringement contentions.
The crux of the debate between the two companies centers around who gets credit for the solution to the problem of herbicide overuse and weed resistance in agriculture. Both L&A and Carbon Robotics aim to provide farmers with tools that let them move away from chemical inputs for weeding.
In a move that could potentially impact the legal battle, L&A founder Chris Laudando announced that tomorrow, L&A will release its L&Aser technology module for laser weeding crops on GitHub under a global open-source license. The specific impact of this release on the case is not yet clear, but it could provide evidence about how L&A’s technology works or impact claims of patent infringement or prior art.
Danny Bernstein, CEO of ag robotics incubator The Reservoir, has expressed support for Carbon Robotics, suggesting that any and every solution is necessary at this point and that Carbon Robotics should enable a broader ecosystem without giving up their edge. Some in the industry have been less sympathetic to L&A, viewing the case as an almost meaningless lawsuit that moves discussion away from more important topics such as the broader advancement of robotics and automation in agriculture.
The case, Carbon Autonomous Robotic Systems Inc. v. Laudando & Assoc., was filed in the California Eastern District Court on October 31, 2024, and is currently on hold for counsel substitution. The stay automatically lifts on July 2. The cost and complexity of the case are high, with potential expenses reaching seven figures. The case has not yet reached the Markman hearing.
Sources: [1] https://www.agfundernews.com/agriculture-technology/carbon-robotics-sues-laudando-associates-over-ag-robotics-patents [2] https://www.law360.com/articles/1499973/carbon-robotics-wins-preliminary-injunction-against-laser-weeding-rival [3] https://www.theverge.com/2025/6/1/23149193/carbon-robotics-sues-laser-weeding-rival-laudando-associates-agriculture-patent-infringement
Finances in the business sector could be affected by the unfolding legal battle between Laudando & Associates and Carbon Robotics, as the cost of the case reaches seven figures. In the world of sports, this case may showcase the importance of fair play and innovation, with both companies aiming to provide farming solutions through technological advancements.
