"Copied the Land Rover Defender?"… Dutch bailiffs conduct surprise search and seizure at BYD offices

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Two Dutch subsidiaries of China's largest new energy vehicle maker, BYD, were subjected to a search and seizure order by Dutch court bailiffs in connection with Jaguar Land Rover's (JLR) allegations and dispute over intellectual property infringement.

The incident stemmed from the allegation that BYD's large SUV model, the "Ti7" (known as Fangchengbao Tai 7 in China), unlawfully copied and reverse-engineered design and technical elements of JLR's flagship off-roader, the Land Rover Defender. JLR is known to have taken measures to secure digital records and related data to prevent the destruction of evidence.

The core issues in the lawsuit are whether BYD analyzed and replicated technical elements through the disassembly of the Defender, and the similarity of the designs. In accordance with Dutch legal procedures, the seized materials are currently entrusted to a custodian designated by the court, and JLR requires separate court permission to access and utilize said materials. BYD's legal team has stated that the seizure measures constitute an excessive "dragnet investigation" and has initiated legal countermeasures. A preliminary hearing is scheduled to be held on November 11 at the Hague District Court in the Netherlands.

The BYD Ti7, available as a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) combining a 1.5-liter turbo gasoline engine with a powertrain, and as a pure electric vehicle (EV), was preparing to enter the European market by leveraging a more reasonable price range compared to the Defender. JLR previously won a case in a Chinese court in 2019 regarding the copying of the Range Rover Evoque design by the Landwind X7. This legal battle in The Hague is expected to mark a turning point as intellectual property conflicts between rapidly expanding Chinese automakers and established legacy automotive brands intensify on European soil.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original