LONDON -- Jaguar Land Rover won a legal victory and compensation after a court in China ruled that the Jiangling Motor's Landwind X7 SUV was too similar to the Range Rover Evoque.
The Beijing Chaoyang District Court agreed with JLR that that Landwind copied five unique features of the Evoque, which led to widespread customer confusion, JLR said.
The court ruled that Landwind must pay JLR compensation. The ruling refers to the original Landwind X7 from 2014 rather than the more recent facelifted model, which toned down some of the more blatant similarities, JLR said. Landwind can continue selling the facelifted version.
The two SUVs have a similar shape, with the roof and windows tapering from front to back, and near-identical tail lights and character lines on the side paneling.
JLR said the ruling suggests China is taking copying claims more seriously, JLR said.
"This ruling is a clear sign of the law being implemented appropriately to protect consumers and uphold their rights so that they are not confused or misled, while protecting business investment in design and innovation," Keith Benjamin, Jaguar Land Rover's legal affairs chief, said in a statement.
Western automakers have faced difficulties in China caused by domestic brand imitating their designs. Despite widespread and often blatant copying, global automakers generally do not take legal action in China as they feel the odds of winning against local firms are low. Also, a lawsuit can be bad for branding if the Chinese public think a foreign company is bullying domestic competitors.
JLR had its patent on the shape of the Evoque canceled in China in 2016 after a court ruled it was void because the company had patented it outside China first. It responded by suing Jiangling.
