Not long ago, a new generation of Mercedes-Benz S-Class became a hot topic in the automobile circle. Although it has been denounced by many netizens as the ugliest S-class in history, the application of various high technologies in the interior configuration has received a lot of praise. But it is also based on the application of related technologies that Mercedes-Benz has taken the lawsuit. And the one who sued Mercedes-Benz was Nokia, the former overlord of the mobile phone industry.
Since the advent of the iPhone, Nokia's mobile phone business has suffered a fatal blow, but this Nordic company still has many wireless communication patents, and the patent fees generated by these patents are quite rich. For traditional cars, when using wireless communication technology, patent royalties are generally charged separately according to the use of each car, but Mercedes-Benz does not recognize this charging method. After a series of consultations, the two sides failed to reach an agreement. Finally, Nokia filed a lawsuit against Mercedes-Benz, and just a few weeks ago, this noisy patent infringement case was decided, and Nokia won the case. This judgment made it possible for some Mercedes-Benz models to be banned in Germany. Of course, the premise of the ban is that Nokia needs to provide a deposit (collateral) of 7 billion euros.
Coincidentally, on September 1th, a German court also ruled on Sharp's lawsuit against Mercedes-Benz for infringement of wireless patent use, and Mercedes-Benz also lost the case. The court held that Mercedes-Benz used the relevant patent without permission. Through this judgment, Sharp can also ask for a lock-up order against Mercedes-Benz, which is undoubtedly a great loss for Mercedes-Benz. Therefore, Mercedes-Benz will not sit still and is actively preparing to appeal the relevant cases.
Regarding the fundamental cause of these two cases, it still lies in the way of charging for patent use. Mercedes-Benz believes that fair access to standardized patent use rights is helpful to reduce the cost of automobiles and is very important for the development of the entire automobile industry. However, for the wireless communication providers represented by Nokia, the patent licensing fee is an important source of their profits, and they still adhere to the previous patent method, and said that other automobile peers have always adhered to this method, and there is no differential treatment.
At present, well-known auto parts suppliers such as mainland China and Bosch support Mercedes-Benz in succession, and ask relevant EU departments to intervene to investigate whether Nokia is suspected of abusing patents, so as to stop this unfair competition. Before the deadline for publication, Mercedes-Benz was not subject to a lock-up order.
In my opinion, this kind of cases take a long time to span. If Nokia and Sharp demand the implementation of the lock-up order, then if Mercedes-Benz wins in the subsequent litigation, the huge deposits paid by these two companies will be used as compensation for Mercedes-Benz. There is no real winner for both sides, so it is more likely to settle in private. From the consumer's point of view, no matter what the final result is, it is our greatest concern not to affect the price of the car and the use of related functions.
This article comes from the author of Chejia, car home, and does not represent car home's standpoint.