Home>News Center>China
           
     

    IPR disputes fuelled by auto makers
    By Liu Li and Yu Qiao (China Daily)
    Updated: 2004-09-06 09:14

    China's booming auto industry appears to be a new battle field over intellectual property rights (IPR) as a number of home-grown producers are being charged with piracy by big foreign names.


    Potential buyers experience a new model of domestic auto maker Chery. General Motors announces last November that they would carry an investigation into Chery's new model, Dongfangzhizi, to see whether it copies a GM model. [newsphoto]

    Japanese motor companies, such as Toyota, Honda and Nissan, have acted as plaintiffs in IPR lawsuits against China's young automakers.

    A number of Chinese automakers that have their own brand cars have been accused of copyright infringement, patent right infringement and unfair competition.

    They are: Geely, Chery, Lifan, Shuanghuan and Great Wall Motors.

    Japanese Honda brought two actions against China's largest private motorcycle manufacturer - Chongqing Lifan Industrial Group - in Beijing and Shanghai.

    Neither of the two lawsuits reached judgment.

    A year-long trademark dispute between Honda Motor and Lifan Industrial Group has opened twice for hearing - in November last year and June this year - at the Beijing No 2 Intermediate People's Court.

    The case was placed on file in late 2002.

    The symbol of Hongda, the pronunciation of Lifan's former company name, has been taken by the Japanese auto giant as violating its trademark rights.

    A compensation of 12.5 million yuan (US$1.5 million) has been asked for by Honda for the Chinese company's alleged illegal profits from trademark infringement.

    The Japanese plaintiff also asked for public acknowledgement by the accused Chinese company in the People's Daily.

    The defendant - Lifan Industrial Group - absolutely denied Honda's accusation.

    Sources with Lifan said the infringing products used as evidence of Honda were not produced by Lifan.

    "Our trademark Lifan is very famous in China. Lifan is even more well-known than Honda among consumers for middle and cheaper motorcycles," Lifan's bill of defence said.

    The defendant concluded that the Lifan products need not use trademarks similar to Honda at all.

    In Shanghai, Honda said that Lifan had infringed its patent rights over two motorcycle parts .

    Meanwhile, Shuanghuan Automobile Company in North China's Hebei Province is also alleged by Honda Motor to have infringed design.

    In November last year, Honda filed a lawsuit with the Beijing High People's Court against Shuanghuan, alleging the Laibao SRV of the Chinese company copies the Japanese car maker's CR-V sport utility vehicle.

    Compensation of 100 million yuan (US$12 million) was asked for by Honda.

    Honda started to assemble the CR-V in April at its joint venture in Central China's Hubei Province.

    No hearing was ever held at the court.

    Before Honda's accusation, Shuanghuan put forward prosecution in October last year at the Shijiazhuang Intermediate People's Court to confirm its products did not violate the patent rights of Honda.

    Another Japanese name, Nissan, is also involved in charging Chinese companies with IPR infringement.

    Nissan claimed that the Sing SUV cars of the Great Wall Motor Company copied the design of the SUV Frontier by Nissan sold in the United States.

    Nissan sources said the appearance of the Great Wall Sing SUV is nearly the same as Nissan SUV frontier, especially the lights, bumper and engine cover.

    But Great Wall Motor Company sources said in a statement that its products are developed and produced on its own, not copies of others.

    "We did not infringe the IPR of any other motor producers," the statement said.

    The Great Wall Motor Company owned three items of design patent and applications for another 28 patents are in preparation, company sources said.

    Design of the Sing SUV is among the patents in application.

    Nissan said late last year that they are planning to sue the Great Wall Motor Company. But no judicial move has been reported.

    Chery under fire

    Besides Japanese auto companies, US General Motors (GM) announced last year the QQ mini car of Chery Automobile Company in East China's Anhui Province is suspected of copying the world's No 1 auto maker Chevrolet's Spark.

    GM claimed that both the QQ and Spark are based on the Matiz of South Korea's Daewoo Motor, which has been already acquired by GM.

    The Spark is produced at GM's joint venture in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

    GM China Group said that it had finalized investigation on Chery's alleged piracy.

    But Chery Automobile Company announced that the QQ mini cars were developed by itself, with various patent rights already achieved.

    Chery said they are not violating any IPR rights of other auto makers.

    The Ministry of Commerce invited GM representatives and officials from relevant Chinese departments late last year for discussions on how to solve the dispute between GM and Chery.

    But no result was ever reported.

    Among the rising number of IPR lawsuits and disputes between foreign and domestic auto makers, the only judgment so far was made in November last year in the lawsuit put forward by Toyota against Chinese automaker Geely for trademark infringement and unfair competition.

    Geely won the case, which was the first ever foreign-related motor lawsuit after China's entry to the World Trade Organization.

    The Beijing No 2 Intermediate People's Court rejected Toyota's claim, which required compensation of 14 million yuan (US$1.7 million) from Geely - one of China's major economy car producers based in Zhejiang.

    Toyota claimed that the logo of Geely is similar to that of Toyota, resulting in trademark infringement and unfair competition.

    An advertisement by Geely is also charged by Toyota of intentionally misleading consumers of having relations with the Japanese brand.

    After losing the case, Toyota did not appeal to a higher court last year and followed the judgment, sources with the court said.



     
      Today's Top News     Top China News
     

    Asian political parties pledge co-operation

     

       
     

    55 dead in Sichuan floods, 52 missing

     

       
     

    ASEAN recognizes China as market economy

     

       
     

    Russians burying attack victims, 350 dead

     

       
     

    Saddam's top aide Ibrahim captured

     

       
     

    Britain still waiting for Chinese tourists

     

       
      Asian political parties pledge co-operation
       
      ASEAN recognizes China as market economy
       
      Buffer zone to safeguard Forbidden City
       
      55 dead in Sichuan floods, 52 missing
       
      IPR disputes fuelled by auto makers
       
      Porn producers face severe punishment
       
     
      Go to Another Section  
     
     
      Story Tools  
       
      News Talk  
      It is time to prepare for Beijing - 2008  
    Advertisement
             
    超清无码一区二区三区| 四虎影视无码永久免费| 红桃AV一区二区三区在线无码AV| 精品久久久久久无码专区| 中文字幕免费在线| 精品无码久久久久久久久久| 一本加勒比HEZYO无码人妻| 亚洲电影中文字幕| 无码AV一区二区三区无码| 日韩亚洲AV无码一区二区不卡| 欧美亚洲精品中文字幕乱码免费高清 | 毛片免费全部无码播放| 无码人妻丰满熟妇区免费| 亚洲国产精品狼友中文久久久| 中文无码人妻有码人妻中文字幕| 国模GOGO无码人体啪啪| 亚洲AV永久无码精品一百度影院| 久久午夜无码鲁丝片秋霞| 久久久中文字幕日本| 亚洲精品中文字幕乱码三区| 午夜无码中文字幕在线播放| 国产成人无码免费网站| 国产精品无码专区| 99久久人妻无码精品系列蜜桃| 无码专区中文字幕无码| 亚洲av永久无码精品国产精品 | 伊人久久精品无码av一区| 日韩乱码人妻无码中文字幕视频| 人妻无码αv中文字幕久久 | 亚洲高清有码中文字| 欧美巨大xxxx做受中文字幕| 免费无码黄十八禁网站在线观看| 久久无码人妻精品一区二区三区 | 亚洲av无码成人精品国产| 久久久久亚洲AV无码专区网站| 无码丰满熟妇一区二区| 久久久久亚洲精品无码网址| 日韩亚洲不卡在线视频中文字幕在线观看 | 亚洲精品无码久久久久久| 国产av无码专区亚洲av果冻传媒 | 久久人妻无码中文字幕|