On August 30, 2022, Kawasaki Heavy Industries sued Rorze Corporation for patent infringement. Kawasaki accused Rorze of stealing its patented semiconductor silicon wafer handling and transfer robotic systems technology and — nearly four years later — a jury agreed.
In March 2026, a jury found that Rorze willfully infringed on Kawasaki's patent and awarded $16.65 million in lost profits and $31.7 million on lost royalties. However, the $48.35 million verdict didn't end there as Kawasaki tried to triple the damages to some $145 million due to the willful infringement finding.
Yesterday, both companies reached a settlement. Unfortunately, due to confidentiality, we're unsure if it was closer to the $48 million or the $145 million.
Kawasaki was represented by law firm Crowell & Moring, which announced the initial win after a two-week trial in March. The jury unanimously found that Rorze Corporation and its U.S. subsidiary, Rorze Automation, Inc., willfully infringed Kawasaki’s U.S. Patent No. RE45,772.
The technology was invented by Kawasaki’s CEO Yasuhiko Joseph Hashimoto and is used for silicon wafer handling systems used in semiconductor manufacturing. According to the firm, the patent cemented Kawasaki’s position as a global leader in semiconductor robotics.
As a result of the settlement, the patent infringement litigation will be dismissed. Details of the settlement agreement were not disclosed, but IEN reached out to Kawasaki, Rorze and Crowell & Moring for additional information.
