A German court has imposed a nationwide sales and production ban on Ford cars connected to the Internet. The ban is part of a patent infringement lawsuit using wireless technology.
The rulings were handed down in a regional court in Munich and are not yet binding, meaning Ford can still appeal them. But the ruling could come into effect if IP Bridge pays a €227 million security deposit to the court, or if Ford fails to reach a settlement with the plaintiffs within two weeks.
Unpaid license fees
Ford is said to have used 4G microchips in its cars for which it did not pay license fees. The US auto giant has been sued by eight companies that have patents of mobile communications deemed essential to the 4G standard, and the case has been taken to court by the Japanese intellectual property management company, IP Bridge, writes the German magazine Wirtschaftswoche.
According to Reuters, the ruling reflects the growing discontent of technology companies that want car manufacturers to pay royalties for technologies used in navigation systems, communication between vehicles and self-driving cars,
“The reason for this lawsuit is the license to standard patents for LTE networks. Since we have not yet received the written statement from the court, we do not wish to comment on this case at this time,” Ford said in a statement.
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