Recently, according to Bloomberg News, Jaguar Land Rover filed an application with the US International Trade Commission and the US Federal District Court, claiming that some models of Porsche, Lamborghini, Audi and Volkswagen used the technical patents of their all-terrain feedback adaptive system without permission, demanding that Audi AG be prohibited from importing the above models into the United States.
The industry believes that in the case that the global automobile market has entered the bottom due to the sudden epidemic, automobile companies have begun to maintain their competitiveness by means of similar patent wars.
Caijing contacted Jaguar Land Rover, and the other party did not immediately respond to the above request for comment.
All-terrain technology encounters infringement
Matthew, Jaguar Land Rover's lawyer? Moore said that "some companies" used the patented terrain developed by Jaguar Land Rover without permission? Response? All-terrain feedback adaptive system, and put related infringing products on the American market. Jaguar Land Rover is seeking to protect itself and its business in the United States from infringement.
British automakers said in the lawsuit that the terrain? Response? All-terrain feedback adaptive system can help vehicles to play their driving performance in different road conditions and terrains, which is the highlight of Land Rover Range Rover, Land Rover Discovery and Jaguar F-Pace.
The models suspected of patent infringement include Porsche Cayenne, Lamborghini Urus, Audi Q8, Q7, Q5 and A6? Allroad and e-tron, and Volkswagen Tiguan. Jaguar Land Rover said that if the above luxury SUVs are prohibited from being sold in the United States, there are other luxury medium-sized SUVs and compact crossover vehicles that can meet the needs of consumers.
At present, the US International Trade Commission has publicly solicited public opinions on this case.
According to the contents of the document, the plaintiff (namely Jaguar Land Rover) requested the Committee to issue a limited exclusion order or prohibition order against the defendant within the 60-day review period (that is, to prohibit the defendant's infringing products from entering the American market) and collect a deposit for the goods suspected of infringement.
The US International Trade Commission, which is responsible for investigating unfair trade practices such as patent infringement, usually takes 15 to 18 months to complete the investigation, and has the right to prevent infringing products from entering the United States, but it cannot award damages.
As a supplement, Jaguar Land Rover sued Volkswagen for patent infringement in federal district courts in Delaware and New Jersey, seeking cash compensation.
Engadget, the foreign media of Audi AG, said that the company is investigating the matter to determine further measures, but will not make further comments on the ongoing procedures at this stage.
The two sides have had patent disputes more than once.
As early as 20 18, Jaguar Land Rover filed a lawsuit in the US District Court, accusing Bentley Tim Yue, a subsidiary of Volkswagen, of "intentionally infringing" the technical patent of its all-terrain feedback adaptive system and demanding compensation for the losses. Bentley filed a motion to cancel the plaintiff's application, but it was rejected by the court. The case is still awaiting the court's decision.
According to the interface news report, other pickup trucks, SUVs and crossover vehicles under the Volkswagen Group also provide vehicle control systems similar to Jaguar Land Rover's all-terrain technology, which can switch driving modes with one button. So far, we haven't received a lawyer's letter from Jaguar Land Rover.
Audi and Porsche brands, as important profit sources of Volkswagen, provide most funds for its development of electrification, autonomous driving and digital innovation technologies. Therefore, some people believe that if it is finally determined that the Volkswagen Group has infringement, the company may be more inclined to settle through compensation instead of directly giving up the American market.
Core competitiveness needs to be maintained urgently
In recent years, SUV has been welcomed by consumers for its high performance, off-road performance and large space. In order to improve their influence in China and other emerging markets, luxury car brands have also begun to shift their focus to SUV models.
Michael, an industry research analyst at Bloomberg? Dean pointed out that the growth of the size of high-net-worth people will encourage this trend, and short-term economic shocks will have little impact on them.
Volkswagen Group is obviously aware of this, taking advantage of its mass production to MLB? The Evo platform has developed luxury SUVs such as Bentley Tim Yue, Lamborghini Urus and Audi Q8.
For Jaguar Land Rover, the professional advantage in cross-country sports is the key factor for it to become a high-end brand, and all-terrain technology represented by all-terrain feedback adaptive system is its core advantage against new entrants.
According to official information, terrain? Response? All-terrain feedback adaptive system was launched in 2004 and independently developed by Land Rover brand. It can adjust and optimize the vehicle engine, transmission and chassis system to the "optimal setting" according to the information provided by the driver under the given vehicle condition, so as to give full play to driving performance, comfort and traction. This system can support ordinary driving, grass/gravel/snow, mud/rut, sand and other different road conditions.
At present, Jaguar Land Rover has also introduced the second generation of intelligent all-terrain feedback adaptive system, which can monitor the road conditions in real time, automatically optimize the vehicle settings, and realize the intelligent identification and adjustment of all-terrain road conditions. In addition, Jaguar Land Rover launched an all-terrain autonomous driving technology research and development project with an investment of 3.7 million pounds. This technology can make the vehicle automatically plan the driving route and adjust the speed.
In 20 19, the Land Rover brand also launched the "Land Rover All-terrain Year" marketing campaign in China, which strengthened the brand label of "All-terrain SUV". At that time, Paul Hu, executive vice president of the Joint Marketing and Service Agency (IMSS) between Jaguar Land Rover China and Chery Jaguar Land Rover, bluntly said that the all-terrain feedback adaptive system was the core competitiveness of Land Rover.
In order to build the moat of the brand, Jaguar Land Rover is also enriching and cultivating other "longboards". In terms of electrification, the company currently has 7 plug-in hybrid vehicles, 9 light hybrid vehicles and 65,438+0 pure electric vehicles in the 65,438+03 product series, and will launch 3 brand-new electric vehicles in the fiscal year 2020/265,438+0.
In addition, the car manufacturer also launched the "Zeus" hydrogen energy research program and participated in the construction of smart city centers and other projects.
Conclusion: The insiders believe that the importance of all-terrain technology is self-evident and patent protection is more urgent for Jaguar Land Rover, which is implementing the "cost reduction and efficiency improvement project" and promoting brand recovery.
This article comes from car home, the author of the car manufacturer, and does not represent car home's position.