China cancels patents of JLR, copycat firm

Beijing: China’s Patent Re-examination Board has cancelled des-ign patents of both Jaguar Land Rover’s Range Rover Evoque and also its copycat Landwind X7 manufactured by Chinese auto-maker Jiangling Motors.

According to public records on the patent board’s website, the Evoque patent was ruled invalid in April because the design had been displayed or published elsewhere before a patent application was filed.

The board also ruled in May to invalidate the patent of the alleged copycat, Jiangling’s Landwind X7, saying in the decision that it strongly resembled the Evoque.

“It is difficult for most people to tell one from the other if their logos are concealed-both SUVs have a similar shape, with the roof and windows tapering from front to back, and near identical tail lights and character lines on the side paneling,” said an article in China Daily.

Both automakers have been granted patents for their designs in China, with the one to JLR authorised in 2012, a year and a half earlier than the Jiangling patent.
Jaguar Land Rover, however, sued Jiangling Motors for allegedly copying the Evoque.

However, patents board’s cancellation of both companies’ design patents has given a new twist to the entire story. “If both are invalid, why were the patents given in the beginning?” Yale Zhang, MD of Shanghai-based Automot-ive Foresight, was quoted as saying by China Daily.

JLR, however, claims that cancellation of both the design patents will not stop it from going after an alleged Chinese copycat in a separate unfair competition and copyright proceeding.