Cologne – Germany-based United Robotics Group is taking over the European robotics business of Japanese technology company SoftBank by acquiring SoftBank Robotics SAS, which is headquartered in Paris, France. In return, SoftBank will become a minority shareholder in the United Robotics Group, whose equity interests in the robotics sphere include Rethink Robotics, Humanizing Technologies, Entrance Robotics, and RobShare.
By acquiring SoftBank Robotics SAS, the United Robotics Group will become one of the world’s leading service robotics companies. It is indirectly majority owned by RSBG SE, the investment arm of the RAG-Stiftung foundation. The transaction is expected to complete in the second quarter of 2022 and is currently awaiting approval from the relevant authorities in Germany and France.
An international CMS team headed by Dr Malte Bruhns and Laura Christin Stein advised the United Robotics Group on all legal aspects of the joint venture.
SoftBank Robotics SAS is a market leader in humanoid robotics and the developer and manufacturer of the world-renowned Pepper and NAO robots, for example. The United Robotics Group and SoftBank Robotics SAS have been partners since 2017. The United Robotics Group has been the master distributor in the European market since 2021, with responsibility for sales and service of Pepper and NAO. The joint venture will enable the United Robotics Group to expand its portfolio, which currently includes industrial robots and autonomous laboratory robots.
RSBG SE (indirect majority shareholder of United Robotics Group)
Dr Jan Gudlick (COO, General Counsel)
Dr Jana Pannemann (Senior Legal Counsel)
CMS Germany
Dr Malte Bruhns, Lead Partner, Cologne
Laura Christin Stein, Counsel, Cologne
Matthias Engelen, Counsel, Cologne
Philipp Kunick, Senior Associate, Cologne
Christoph Schröer, Senior Associate, Cologne
Ramon Weistroffer, Senior Associate, Cologne, all Corporate/M&A
Thorsten Hemme, Principal Counsel, Cologne, TMC (Technology, Media & Communications)
Dr Dirk Smielick, Principal Counsel, Cologne, Intellectual Property
Kai Neuhaus, Partner, Brussels
Dr Björn Herbers, Partner, Brussels
Moritz Pottek, Senior Associate, Brussels
Nadine Herda, Senior Associate, Brussels, all Competition & EU
CMS France
Thomas Hains, Partner, Neuilly-sur-Seine
Anne-Flore Millet, Associate, Neuilly-sur-Seine
Louise Paysant, Associate, Neuilly-sur-Seine
Rafaële Gindre, Corporate jurist, Neuilly-sur-Seine, all Corporate/M&A
Anne-Laure Villedieu, Partner, Neuilly-sur-Seine
Candice Barreiro, Associate, Neuilly-sur-Seine, both Intellectual Property
Victoire Delloye, Associate, Neuilly-sur-Seine, Intellectual Property / Technology, Media and Communications
Caroline Froger-Michon, Partner, Neuilly-sur-Seine
Camille Baumgarten, Associate, Neuilly-sur-Seine
Madeleine Bénistan, Associate, Neuilly-sur-Seine
Aurélie Parchet, Associate, Neuilly-sur-Seine, all Employment & Pensions
Johann Roc'h, Partner, Neuilly-sur-Seine
Henri Bitar, Partner, Neuilly-sur-Seine
Alexis Bussac, Counsel, Neuilly-sur-Seine
Maxime Carpentier, Tax Advisor, Neuilly-sur-Seine
Mélanie du Luart, Associate, Neuilly-sur-Seine, all Tax
Géraldine Machinet, Counsel, Neuilly-sur-Seine
Héloïse Gimbert, Associate, Neuilly-sur-Seine, both Real Estate
Guillaume Melot, Associate, Neuilly-sur-Seine, Competition
CMS China
Dr Falk Lichtenstein, Partner, Beijing, Corporate/M&A
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