The German District Court in Dusseldorf recently made a judgment on the patent infringement dispute between the Japanese company MU Ionic and the automaker Opel and the Chinese lithium-ion battery manufacturer Ningde Times: Opel and Ningde Times did not infringe MU Ionic's car battery patent. The lawsuit is seen as a precedent for possible future disputes with other automakers using CATL batteries in electric vehicles.
MU Ionic argued that CATL, a supplier of Opel, infringed its patent EP 971 on battery technology, and requested injunctive relief, information and accounts from the defendant, and destruction of existing products.
The judge held that EP 971 protects lithium-ion secondary batteries and the non-aqueous electrolyte solutions used in them, and that the technology in CATL batteries uses other substances not covered by the patent. MU Ionic is likely to appeal the ruling, which experts believe is likely to happen given the commercial potential of the technology.
At the same time, CATL and Opel have filed invalidation lawsuits against EP 971 to the Federal Patent Court. It is reported that Opel has installed CATL batteries in various models. Opel is a much smaller automaker in Europe than Volkswagen or Daimler. Stakeholders therefore see the lawsuit against Opel as a test case for possible lawsuits against other automakers. For example, BMW and Daimler are also using batteries from the Chinese manufacturer.
