Ouster Continues its Patent Case Against Hesai in District Court and Seeks to Bar Infringing Products in the United States

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ouster, Inc. (NYSE: OUST) (“Ouster” or the “Company”), a leading provider of high-performance lidar sensors, issued the following statement today relating to the Company’s complaint filed with the U.S International Trade Commission (“ITC”) and the investigation into the unfair trade practices of Hesai Group (Nasdaq: HSAI) and related entities (ITC Investigation):

Ouster previously filed its patent infringement case against Hesai in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware in April 2023, but this case was stayed pending the results of a separate ITC investigation filed at the same time. On October 11, the ITC announced that the investigation is terminated to allow for arbitration before any ruling was made on the merits of the patent infringement complaint. As a result, the stay on the infringement case in Delaware will be lifted and the case will recommence. Ouster looks forward to expeditiously addressing the merits of its patent infringement claims in Delaware or through arbitration. The Company will continue to vigorously enforce its patents and seeks to bar all infringing products from the United States in all venues.

“The global lidar industry relies on fair competition, and IP must be protected,” said Ouster CEO Angus Pacala. “Lidar is a critical technology used across our nation’s infrastructure from traffic systems to the vehicles we drive. Critical technology needs to be trusted technology, and Ouster is dedicated to promoting the responsible and ethical use of lidar.”

About Ouster

Ouster (NYSE: OUST) is a leading global provider of high-resolution scanning and solid-state digital lidar sensors, Velodyne Lidar sensors, and software solutions for the automotive, industrial, robotics, and smart infrastructure industries. Ouster is on a mission to build a safer and more sustainable future by offering affordable, high-performance sensors that drive mass adoption across a wide variety of applications. Ouster is headquartered in San Francisco, CA with offices in the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East. For more information, visit www.ouster.com, or connect with us on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company intends such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such statements are based upon current plans, estimates and expectations of management that are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements. The inclusion of forward-looking statements should not be regarded as a representation that such plans, estimates and expectations will be achieved. Words such as “anticipate,” “expect,” “project,” “intend,” “believe,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “plan,” “could,” “may,” “continue,” “target,” “contemplate,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “guidance,” “predict,” “possible,” “potential,” “pursue,” “likely,” and the negative of these terms and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, though not all forward-looking statements use these words or expressions. All statements, other than historical facts, including statements regarding Ouster’s expectations regarding the arbitration of the Company’s dispute with Hesai Group, the Company’s ongoing patent infringement case in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware, as well as Ouster’s ongoing litigation strategy. All forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those that we expected, including, but not limited to, risks related to Ouster’s ability to adequately protect and enforce its intellectual property rights, including as relates to Hesai Group; and other important factors discussed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, that are further updated from time to time in the Company’s other filings with the SEC. Readers are urged to consider these factors carefully and in the totality of the circumstances when evaluating these forward-looking statements, and not to place undue reliance on any of them. Any such forward-looking statements represent management’s reasonable estimates and beliefs as of the date of this press release. While Ouster may elect to update such forward-looking statements at some point in the future, it disclaims any obligation to do so, other than as may be required by law, even if subsequent events cause its views to change.