In a high‑profile intellectual‑property dispute, bailiffs acting for Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) entered the Dutch offices of Chinese automaker BYD in Schiedam and Hoofddorp in August. The raid, carried out under a court order, aimed to secure digital records before they could be destroyed ahead of a Hague court hearing that will decide whether BYD’s Ti7 SUV infringes on Land Rover’s Defender design.
JLR alleges that BYD reverse‑engineered key elements of the Defender’s technology. The Ti7, a seven‑seat plug‑in hybrid SUV, has been likened by motoring experts to the Defender since its launch in China last September. The BBC’s Top Gear magazine has even dubbed it the “Chinese Defender clone.”
JLR’s Defender 110, priced from £68,465, remains one of the UK’s best‑selling SUVs, with 29,500 units sold between July and September this year. BYD plans to launch the Ti7 in the UK in January at a price of £47,995, undercutting the Defender by more than £20,000.
Both companies declined to comment on the ongoing legal proceedings. The dispute follows JLR’s earlier victory in 2019 against Jiangling Motor Corporation, which had sold a copycat vehicle. JLR has also pursued collaborative approaches, such as a joint venture with Chery in 2012 and licensing its discontinued Freelander brand.
Source: The Guardian World
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