The BYD Ti7 PHEV has been dubbed "China’s answer to the Defender." That made Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) furious, and has raided rival BYD’s Dutch offices, seizing documents as part of an escalating legal battle – accusing Chinese automotive giant of copying the design of its iconic Defender.
Now, JLR has been ordered by a court in The Hague to "destroy or return" documents seized from the Chinese automaker BYD during a dispute over allegations that BYD’s Ti7 SUV copied the Land Rover Defender.
The ruling, reported on Thursday, Nov. 12, concerns evidence gathered in raids on BYD’s European and Dutch offices in August — but not whether BYD infringed JLR’s rights.
The District Court of The Hague found that JLR had not shown the seized material was "relevant" to its allegations.
It ordered JLR to comply within 24 hours and to pay BYD €25,376.57 ($28,063.31) in legal costs.
JLR had sought €500,000 in penalties from BYD.
RAID ON BYD: In August, bailiffs acting on behalf of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) raided BYD’s offices in Schiedam and Hoofddorp, the Netherlands over allegations that the BYD Ti7 SUV unlawfully copied the design and technology of the Land Rover Defender. A Dutch court recently ordered JLR to destroy the seized records.
