These startups both released groundbreaking induction stoves. Now they’re embroiled in a lawsuit
Impulse, a sleek induction stove that began shipping to customers last year, advertises itself as “ unlike any other induction stove ever made .” But that product is now at the center of a legal fight. Copper, another company making next-generation induction stoves , sued Impulse on Friday in federal court in Delaware for patent infringement. At the center of the dispute is a shared design choice: Both companies build stoves with batteries tucked inside, a feature that boosts performance, eases installation in homes without electrical upgrades, and doubles as energy storage to ease strain on the electric grid. It’s a novel idea, and one that Copper patented first. In a copy of the lawsuit obtained by Fast Company , Copper claims its founders began developing the technology as early as 2019. (The work spun out of R&D lab Otherlab , which received a U.S. Department of Energy grant in 2020 to push the idea further.) The company formally launched in 2022 and secured its first patent that March for “appliance level battery-based energy storage.” Two additional patents followed in 2024 and 2025, detailing versions of an induction stove with an integrated battery. The company has raised around $35 million in venture funding to date, according to PitchBook. Impulse said in a statement that it had not yet been shown Copper’s filings and could not comment on specifics, but that it “disagrees with their characterization of the events” and expects to be “vindicated when our day in court comes.” [Photo:
Two startups, Impulse and Copper, have both recently released groundbreaking induction stoves that feature batteries integrated into their design. This innovative feature enhances performance, simplifies installation in homes without electrical upgrades, and serves as energy storage to reduce strain on the electric grid. However, this shared design choice has led to a legal battle, with Copper suing Impulse in federal court in Delaware for patent infringement.
Copper claims that it patented the idea of an induction stove with an integrated battery first. The company's founders began developing the technology as early as 2019, with the work originating from the R&D lab Otherlab. Otherlab received a U.S. Department of Energy grant in 2020 to further advance the project. Copper officially launched in 2022 and secured its first patent in March of that year for "appliance level battery-based energy storage." Two additional patents followed in 2024 and 2025, detailing variations of an induction stove with an integrated battery. The company has raised around $35 million in venture funding to date, according to PitchBook.
Impulse, on the other hand, began shipping its sleek induction stove to customers last year, advertising it as "unlike any other induction stove ever made." The company's founder, Sam D'Amico, a former Facebook engineer, explained to Fast Company in late 2022 that the energy storage benefits of its design were a key selling point. "Effectively, we're Trojan-horsing a small battery into people's homes when the appliance goes in," D'Amico said. Impulse has raised $25 million in venture funding.
In response to the lawsuit, Impulse stated that it had not yet been shown Copper's filings and could not comment on specifics. However, the company expressed its disagreement with Copper's characterization of the events and confidence in being "vindicated when our day in court comes." It remains unclear when Impulse Labs started work on its design or how familiar it was with Copper's work at that time.
The lawsuit highlights the competitive nature of the induction stove market and the importance of patent protection in the technology sector. Both companies have invested significantly in their respective innovations, and the outcome of this legal battle could have a significant impact on their future growth and market positioning. As the case progresses, it will be interesting to see how the courts interpret the scope of the patents and whether Impulse's design infringes on Copper's intellectual property. Regardless of the outcome, the public can expect to see continued advancements in induction stove technology, driven by the rivalry between these two startups.
