Court-ordered bailiffs raided the Dutch offices of Chinese automaker BYD ahead of a legal hearing in The Hague regarding alleged intellectual property breaches involving the Land Rover Defender.
Raid and Legal Proceedings
Bailiffs acting for Jaguar Land Rover seized digital records from BYD facilities in Schiedam and Hoofddorp during August, as reported by the Sunday Times. The legal action precedes a court case in The Hague to determine whether BYD must answer claims that its Ti7 SUV violates the intellectual property rights of the Land Rover Defender.
Automotive specialists and reviewers have compared BYD’s seven-seat plug-in hybrid SUV to the Defender since its release in China last September. BYD plans to introduce the vehicle to the UK market in January with a starting price of £47,995, positioning it more than £20,000 below the cost of the Defender. BYD describes the vehicle’s exterior on its website as featuring an unapologetically boxy profile that provides an imposing, chunky design for SUV buyers while maintaining a contemporary appearance.
The standard seven-seat Defender 110 starts at £68,465 and ranks among the UK’s bestselling vehicles. JLR, owned by India’s Tata Motors, reported selling 29,500 Defender models to retail customers between July and September, an increase from 25,370 during the same period in the previous year. According to the Sunday Times, JLR suspected BYD of reverse-engineering technology for the Ti7 and sought to secure digital files before potential deletion.
Representatives for both JLR and BYD declined to comment on the ongoing legal proceedings.
Previous Legal Disputes and Market Competition
This action follows prior intellectual property disputes pursued by JLR against Chinese competitors. The company previously won a three-year legal battle in 2019 to halt sales of a copycat vehicle by Jiangling Motor Corporation.
Conversely, JLR has also pursued partnerships with Chinese manufacturers, establishing a joint venture with Chery in 2012 that later involved licensing the discontinued Freelander brand. Meanwhile, Chery’s separate Jaecoo model has drawn comparisons to the Range Rover, retailing for £10,000 less than JLR’s luxury vehicle.
Data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders indicates that the Jaecoo led UK car registrations in October with 10,813 units, expanding its market share from 2.07% to 4.30%. Concurrently, JLR recorded a decline in Range Rover sales to 43,300 vehicles in the third quarter of the year, compared with 47,196 units sold during the corresponding quarter last year.
The court in The Hague is set to decide this week whether the case regarding the Ti7 SUV will proceed.
