UPC Rejects ECOVACS Appeal over Roborock Evidence Order

The Unified Patent Court's Court of Appeal upheld the withdrawal of an ECOVACS evidence-preservation order against Roborock on March 16, 2026. Case UPC_CoA_3/2026 concerned information supplied when ECOVACS sought permission to inspect products at IFA 2025 without first hearing the other side.

According to EPLAW's account of the appeal order, ECOVACS had presented the Berlin exhibition as a unique opportunity to obtain evidence. The application had not fully disclosed the availability of direct purchases through Amazon in Germany or the possibility of a test purchase. The Court of Appeal considered those omissions relevant to the original request.

The appeal followed the Düsseldorf Local Division's December 19, 2025 revocation of the inspection order. The appellate court emphasized the duty to provide complete and accurate information in an application made without the opposing party present. Information supplied later could not repair the shortcomings in the initial application.

The outcome left the revocation in place, with confidentiality protections continuing for material obtained through the inspection. It settled this dispute about the evidence-gathering procedure. It did not decide whether the products infringed a patent or whether the patent itself was valid, issues that require their own assessment in the underlying litigation.