Many netizens are not very satisfied with the exterior design language of the new generation S-Class. Everyone thinks that the Mercedes-Benz S-Class is completely different from the previous Mercedes-Benz S-Class. In the midst of the debate, Mercedes-Benz has Got into trouble.
The S-Class Mercedes-Benz has been involved in a lawsuit
The main reason is this generation of S-Class cars. On September 10, a court in Munich, Germany ruled that Daimler was suing Japan Sharp lost its patent lawsuit on mobile technology. The court held that Daimler used its technology without Sharp's permission. The court's decision will allow Sharp to request a ban on the sale of Daimler cars in Germany. Regarding Mercedes-Benz, because of mobile Technology, this is the second time it has been sued in court. The first time was due to a patent dispute with Nokia, which was eventually settled with a deposit of 700 million euros.
How to resolve this dispute?
Will the dispute be settled so easily this time? Sharp applied to the court to ban the sale of Mercedes-Benz cars in the European Union, especially in its home country of Germany. Sharp only needs to provide a mortgage of 5.5 million euros to implement the ban. You must know that Nokia was previously asked by the court for a mortgage deposit of 7 billion euros. If Mercedes-Benz appeals, it will compensate Mercedes-Benz. As a result, Nokia dare not apply for an injunction due to risk reasons. But this time the Munich court lowered the threshold for Sharp. Sharp can get Mercedes-Benz to be banned from selling in Germany with almost no effort. Faced with In such a situation, what should Mercedes-Benz do?
How to choose between the two Mercedes-Benz roads?
Mercedes-Benz has two options. The first is to appeal to the court to increase the amount of the deposit. After all, there is a precedent with Nokia. After the amount is increased, Sharp, which has been losing money for many years, will not be able to pay the deposit, thus allowing Mercedes-Benz to pay the deposit. The possibility of the car being stopped for sale in the country is completely aborted, making the previous lawsuit in vain. The second is to settle out of court with Sharp, such as settlement fees, and royalties for subsequent cars, etc., as long as it is the amount accepted by Sharp, Then, this dispute will be over soon. However, if you want to settle out of court, the fee will certainly not be a small amount. After all, Sharp's current balance of payments is seriously imbalanced, and patents are being used everywhere to make money to survive. Some experts estimate that if Mercedes-Benz wants to settle out of court, it will have to pay at least 200-600 million euros.
Life is not easy for Mercedes-Benz.
Although Mercedes-Benz is a luxury car brand, this amount of money is not a small amount. How many cars will be sold in China? To earn it back? In the past few years, Mercedes-Benz has lost a lot of money in North America due to the emissions scandal, and Mercedes-Benz cars with cash are not as generous as before. Mercedes-Benz cars have also been struggling in recent years. How can they easily come up with 2-6? 100 million euros? It can be seen from Mercedes-Benz China's simplified distribution of domestic cars that Mercedes-Benz has given up its bottom line in order to make more money. Now it is still relying on the "face" of the past to win more markets in China. Now it is faced with various problems. What the future holds for Mercedes-Benz cars is still unknown.
If Mercedes-Benz loses the lawsuit this time or goes along with Sharp's wishes and causes Sharp to successfully apply for an injunction, then Mercedes-Benz's inability to sell cars in Germany will not only be an economic loss, but also a loss for the car brand. It is also a fatal blow. After all, if the Mercedes-Benz car brand, which has been maintained for a century, stumbles due to this incident, how will Mercedes-Benz survive in the future? Regarding this matter, the editor will continue to update. Friends who are interested can follow the editor.
This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.