BYD just got some good news in its Defender-copycat court battle with JLR. After JLR had BYD’s Netherlands offices raided and documents seized, a Dutch court has now handed BYD an early win, ordering JLR to destroy the documents or face a penalty.
JLR takes BYD to court over its Defender-like SUV
After BYD opened orders for the Ti 7 in Europe and the UK in late July, many (including us at Electrek) compared it to the iconic Land Rover Defender, with its boxy, rugged (yet still elegant) SUV design.
BYD even described it as having “an unapologetically boxy profile” that delivers “the imposing, chunky design that finds favour among SUV buyers, yet delivers a contemporary look.”
In August, authorities on behalf of the British luxury automaker raided BYD’s offices in the Netherlands without prior warning and seized digital records.
On November 11, a Dutch court in The Hague ruled against JLR and ordered the company to destroy the seized documents, which included launch plans and other technical data, so they wouldn’t fall into anyone else’s hands.
JLR must destroy the documents within 24 hours of the ruling or face a fine of €50,000 ($55,000) for every hour it is delayed, with a maximum penalty of up to €500,000 ($553,000).
Within 24 hours of destroying it, JLR must also provide BYD with third-party confirmation that it has been destroyed. The court also rejected the British automaker’s request to pay a €500,000 ($553,000) fine.
According to Autoweek Netherlands, the ruling is based on the fact that JLR doesn’t need the documents, noting that the Ti 7 has not yet been sold in the European Union.
BYD won the ruling, and JLR is prohibited from taking any further legal action under the initial seizure order, but JLR has already begun summary proceedings over the infringement in Rotterdam and The Hague.
JLR claims that the Ti 7 SUV is a “slavish imitation” and infringes on the intellectual property of the Land Rover Defender and that BYD stripped down the Defender to reverse-engineer some of its technology.
Before the raid, BYD claims it fully cooperated with JLR’s requests. BYD’s lawyers called the British automakers’ raid a “fishing expedition” and claimed that “too many files were seized.”
The Ti 7 is on sale starting at £47,995 ($64,000) in the UK, on the road. That’s over £20,000 ($26,500) less than the plug-in Defender 110, which starts at £71,840 ($95,500) in the UK.
It has a seven-seat arrangement, which BYD said was specifically designed for the European and UK markets.
As the first vehicle in the UK based on its DM-p (Dual Mode performance) powertrain, BYD said the Ti 7 “vastly exceeds the closest competition,” seemingly another jab at the Defender.
The setup uses three electric motors and a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine, delivering a combined 402 hp (408 PS), enabling it to accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in 4.8 seconds.
The engine primarily powers a 35.6 kWh BYD Blade Battery, which provides a pure-electric WLTP driving range of up to 74 miles. In the city, it has an electric range of up to 102 miles.
Available exclusively in the UK in the flagship Excellence AWD trim, BYD claims that the Ti 7 offers “a level of equipment that exceeds anything that its rivals can offer at this price point.”
We should learn more about the BYD and JLR legal battle soon. Check back for updates, as this story is still ongoing.
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