In an unprecedented move to lessen global trade issues, China has now handed a rare victory to Jaguar Land Rover Automotive in its intellectual property case against a Chinese copycat. The Chinese automotive manufacturer, Jiangling Motors, has been ordered by a court in Beijing to immediately cease production and distribution of its Landwind X7 sport utility vehicle.
The Chinese court found that the Landwind X7 SUV had copied at least five major features of the Range Rover Evoque SUV model. The legal victory was a rare occurrence given the constant stream of foreign companies who have launched intellectual property disputes with Chinese firms before. Most of these cases have so far been ignored, but this time China may be tightening its grip given that intellectual property is a hot topic in its trade talks with the United States and other countries.
Aside from completely halting the production of the copycat SUV, the Beijing Chaoyang District Court has also ordered Jiangling Motors to pay compensation to Jaguar Land Rover. The amount was unfortunately not specified and Jiangling has yet to release a statement following the court's decision. Jaguar Land Rover, which is owned by the Indian firm Tata Group, launched the dispute against Jiangling back in 2014 when it discovered how similar Jiangling's model was to their new Range Rover Evoque SUV. The company accused Jiangling of copying and pasting their vehicle's design in its entirety.
According to the company, the latest court decision is such a big win for foreign car manufacturers and foreign industries in general. The company even stated that given China's new outlook regarding intellectual properties, major companies and investors should now be more confident in placing their bets in China. Jaguar Land Rover had stated that after the victory it is now much more confident in investing in one of the largest automotive markets in the world.
Other manufacturers that have launched major complaints against Chinese manufacturers include Honda and Porsche Automobil Holding. These companies have alleged that some of their Chinese rivals are blatantly copying the designs of some of their vehicle models. Honda, in particular, had lost a number of cases in the past, with the latest one being a loss in 2004 after it complained that Shuanghuan Auto was copying the design of its CR-V compact SUV model. However, during the same year, Honda had scored a win after a Chinese court ordered a Chinese company to stop producing motorcycles under the "Hongda" brand name.
