Daimler
Daimler is of the opinion that the use of patents cannot be denied if its suppliers pay for a corresponding license.
(Photo: obs)
Tokyo, Stuttgart Daimler has to defend itself again against the allegation of patent infringement. The Japanese Apple supplier Sharp announced on Friday that the Munich Regional Court had ruled that the cellular technology used in the vehicles of the Stuttgart-based automaker infringed its patent rights.
A person familiar with the matter said Sharp could enforce a sales ban if the company deposited 5.5 million euros as a guarantee for possible claims for damages. Daimler declared that the verdict could not be understood and announced an appeal. “We do not assume that there will be a production and delivery stop,” said a spokeswoman.
Daimler is of the opinion that it cannot be denied the use of patents if its suppliers pay for a corresponding license. The judgment also only concerns the remainder of an original lawsuit from which Sharp took back parts. “The reason for this was that in the meantime a license has been concluded between a Daimler supplier and Sharp.” This shows that the model of licensing by the suppliers themselves basically works.
The dispute is about a fundamental dispute that carmakers and technology providers are currently fighting with each other in various courts. In another patent dispute, Daimler is defending itself against the ruling of the Mannheim Regional Court in favor of the Finnish mobile communications supplier Nokia. The core of the legal dispute is also there who has to acquire the license for a technology that the car manufacturer uses in its vehicles.
Foxconn subsidiary Sharp has also sued Tesla for an injunction to stop some electric vehicles from being imported into Japan. Other manufacturers are also confronted with patent disputes. The US chip company Broadcom sued Volkswagen two years ago for the alleged use of patents in navigation and entertainment systems that the Wolfsburg-based company uses in numerous models.
The case was particularly sensational because the US company demanded a billion dollars from the Wolfsburg-based car company and, according to a “Spiegel” report, threatened to have the production of VW, Porsche and Audi models stopped by a court of law. In the end, an out-of-court settlement was reached. It was not known at the time whether Volkswagen paid any money. The auto industry has long complained that so-called patent exploiters have exploited the legal situation to demand excessive license fees.
More: Corona crisis is costing the automotive industry billions worldwide – “Brutal selection” threatens.