From knock-off old-man's electric vehicles to industrial giant

Chapter 41 Oh no, they really do have a patent!

With the efficiency of Kyoto's top-notch legal team.

It only took one day to complete the material collection for Xu Yi Company, submit the appeal application to the local court, and send lawyer's letters to each company.

Such matters are handled by designated personnel, so the company naturally doesn't need to delay work and production progress due to legal disputes.

In contrast, the other companies...

I'm already feeling quite overwhelmed.

Everyone was completely bewildered.

No.

Didn't Porsche say it wouldn't take things too seriously?

Why did Xingchen's imitations go so well before, but they sued us as soon as we started imitating them?
You're really trying to put trouble on people, you know?
However, all indications suggest that Porsche Continental is serious this time.

In just two days, the manufacturers received notices of case filing from the local court, as well as copies of the defendant's complaint and answer.

According to procedure, the defendant must respond to the statement of defense within fifteen days of receiving it.

of course.

Regardless of whether the defendant responds or not, the court hearing date has been set.

Each manufacturer only has about half a month to prepare.

...

Still at Reading headquarters.

meeting room.

Several key high-ranking officials were present.

There are also two urgently recruited lawyers who are now Reading's legal advisors.

"So, what are the chances of winning the defense?" Zhou Tao asked calmly.

He has been telling himself this for the past few days.

Don't panic...

He wanted to maintain this calm in front of his two legal advisors, as losing his composure would undermine his authority within the company.

But the slight tremor in his voice betrayed his true feelings.

The current situation is very bad.

The old models aren't selling well, and the new models that finally started to gain traction are now facing lawsuits, making it impossible for them to continue production.

feeling bad.

It's really upsetting!
"Mr. Zhou, based on your company's relevant materials and qualifications, we have reviewed them. Although it does not fall under the category of motor vehicles, the product's appearance design does not include any design elements that could circumvent regulations..."

Moreover, it could even be said that in the early stages of research and development, it was entirely based on imitation. The actual vehicles are still being sold in large quantities offline, generating substantial profits, yet you yourself have no patent protection whatsoever.

The lawyer organized the materials in front of him, reviewing them as he spoke.

A tone of helplessness.

The fact that these companies involved in infringement cases show absolutely no legal awareness is astounding; even a dog would shake its head in disbelief!
But then again.

If they truly had a strong sense of law, they wouldn't be so persistent in engaging in this gray industry.

There are too many entrepreneurs like this who started from humble beginnings.

"You mean we're doomed to lose this lawsuit?" Zhou Tao felt a chill in his heart.

"Yes, so it's right for your company to suspend the production and sales of the relevant models. You've already made so much profit, and according to the patent law ruling, the final compensation will be substantial... However, our law firm will try our best to advocate for you, for example, by extending the time for defense and evidence presentation in court, and delaying the early execution of the compensation payment," the lawyer said.

Take people's money and eliminate disasters for them.

For a lawsuit that's obviously unwinnable, there's only one word: drag it out!

We'll drag it out for as many months as we can.

The judicial appraisal process and final judgment process in related patent infringement cases can drag on for more than 100 days.

This period of time is also enough for the defendant to do a lot of things.

Even if they do nothing, they can still consume the plaintiff's time and manpower, and then use this as grounds to negotiate the final compensation plan, which often gives them some leverage.

"Hold!!"

Zhou Tao felt utterly helpless. Just then, Vice President Liu Bin said:
"Mr. Zhou, please don't be angry. Now that we've been sued, I think the other companies, including Xingchen, will definitely suffer the same fate. Compared to us, Xingchen is the one that has suffered the biggest loss!"

As soon as these words came out.

This also eased Zhou Tao's bad mood considerably.

Correct!
How could he have forgotten.

Since they've already sued Reading Motors, the other companies can't escape either.

We're all talented individuals, and now that we're down on our luck, we should all suffer together.

Thinking about it this way, he suddenly felt at peace.

To know.

The root of all evil is this company, Starry Sky.

Moreover, all of their models are high-quality imitations, not a single original model. They still make a lot of profit from selling them. As a result, they will not only face huge compensation claims, but they will also be unable to produce and sell their infringing models. It is not impossible for them to go bankrupt!
Yes, that's right...

That's how it is. Perhaps Porsche's main target in its lawsuit is Xingchen, while its competitors are just incidental.

Hahaha!
Good riddance!!!

"Is the news confirmed?" Zhou Tao asked.

"I've already sent people to conduct an on-site investigation, and we should have news soon," Liu Bin said confidently.

Just then, his phone vibrated, and his expression immediately relaxed; a message had arrived.

"Several other competitors have shown signs of halting sales and production at their offline stores and factories, and some have even completely removed the infringing models from their shelves. This includes Xingchen Automotive... Wait, did I read that wrong? Xingchen isn't included?"

Halfway through reading, Liu Bin couldn't help but rub his eyes, then stared wide-eyed in surprise at the message.

That's right—

Excluding Xingchen Automotive!
The cars under Xingchen are still properly displayed in various offline channels, and the factory shows no signs of stopping production; in fact, it is showing a trend of increasing production.

"What exactly happened? There's no way Xingchen Company didn't receive the court notice. Do they really think they're above the law? Are they ignorant of the law?!" Liu Bin really couldn't understand it.

The court hearing notice is almost in my face. If I lose the case, it's like having to pay for every additional unit sold.

What is the thought process behind Starry Sky Company?

Is there some underlying logic they haven't grasped?
The meeting room door was suddenly knocked open.

"Mr. Zhou, something's happened... We've received a new lawyer's letter!" A senior executive came in.

Everyone was stunned.

what…

A new lawyer's letter?
Before anyone present could react, the executive continued.

"It was sent from Luzhou Xingchen Company, accusing us of infringing on design patents and illegally profiting..."

Zhou Tao felt it was absurd.

"Has Xingchen Company gone mad? They don't have a single design patent! They're worthless!!"

The lawyer standing next to him calmly said, "Please let me see the lawyer's letter. This is part of our job."

Zhou Tao nodded in acknowledgment, and the executive immediately handed over the lawyer's letter and supporting documents from the file bag.

The local lawyer looked at it, then his expression became quite strange.

"Oh no... they really do have patents."

...

"what--?!"

Zhou Tao was stunned by these words!

The lawyer continued to sigh:
"They made many micro-innovative designs at the beginning of the development of the existing models, and these designs can be regarded as commercial originals. They are completely different from Porsche's relevant appearance patents, and they have registered them as patents. The documents also declare the patent features. They are very rigorous in all aspects..."

In other words, under the existing patent law, Porsche may not even be able to sue them for infringement.

But Mr. Zhou, you're in trouble.

……

(End of this chapter)