A German court has Banned the sale and production of Ford cars in Germany capable of establishing an Internet connection as part of a lawsuit for infringement of wireless technology patents. The ruling also establishes the withdrawal and destruction of vehicles present in Ford dealerships. The sentence can still be appealed.
Patent conflict between manufacturers and suppliers
Patent EP2294737B1, whose current holder is IPBridge, protects a technology for a channel quality indicator and is essential for the LTE mobile standard. Judges have ruled that the FordPass-Connect connectivity module, which connects the car to smartphones, infringes the patent.
The ruling reflects growing tension between automakers and technology companies that want them to pay royalties for technologies used in navigation systems, vehicle communications and self-driving cars.
Ford also faces lawsuits over connected cars in the United States and Italy.
The automobile industry and mobile communication patents
IP Bridge had previously sued Volkswagen in Germany for the same patent. The German manufacturer decided, before the court issued the corresponding ruling, to pay for the rights to use an Avanci license that also includes patents from more owners. Other manufacturers, such as General Motors and Tesla, have decided to acquire the aforementioned license before receiving a lawsuit.
The lawsuits against Ford are part of a series of connected car lawsuits against the auto industry. In recent years, the Avanci group and other patent holders had focused on German car manufacturers, such as BMW, Daimler or the aforementioned Volkswagen, as well as their suppliers. For example, Nokia, sued Daimler for this same circumstance. BMW, Daimler and Volkswagen finally decided to sign a licensing agreement with Avanci.
Author Ruth Sanchez
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