Japan's Sharp Corp Wins a Patent Infringement Suit Against German Automaker

A District Court in Munich has ruled that mobile communications technology used in Daimler vehicles violates a patent owned by Sharp Corp.

Sharp Corporation is a major Japanese multinational corporation that primarily designs and manufactures electronic products.

The Court adjudicated that the automaker used the mobile technology without a license. As reported by the Deccan Herald, Sharp Corp can enforce a sales ban against Daimler. This can happen if the company posts 5.5 million euros ($6.5 million) as a guarantee to cover any damages in the event the ban is overturned on appeal.

Daimler has responded by filing a nullity action against the patent in a separate lawsuit. This lawsuit has been filed before Germany's federal patent court in Munich.

This suit is part of a fight between Daimler and several technology firms that are all suing the automaker and want to force it to take a license from a pool of patent owners.

Recently, Nokia had also won a similar patent infringement lawsuit against Daimler in German Court.