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13 April 2018Patents

Ford settles patent clash with hybrid vehicle developer

Hybrid vehicle technology company Paice has settled its patent battle with Ford as part of a licence agreement between the parties.

Paice will license all of its hybrid technology to Ford. It’s also entered into licence agreements with car manufacturers Toyota and Hyundai.

The three car manufacturers entering into the agreement with Paice make up more than 80% of all hybrid sales within the US, according to a press release from Paice, published yesterday, April 12.

After Paice filed a patent infringement claim against Ford in 2014, the car manufacturer responded by asking the US Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) to review a number of Paice’s patent claims based on prior art.

The PTAB decided the claims under investigation were unpatentable due to obviousness and, on appeal, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the decision.

The patents in question were US patent numbers 7,237,634 and 8,214,097. Both relate to an algorithm for selecting operating modes in hybrid vehicle technology.

Paice also dropped its complaint at the US International Trade Commission, where it had asked for Ford to be banned from importing certain hybrid vehicles.

Ford will drop its challenges to Paice’s patents.

Frances Keenan, chairman of Paice’s board of directors, said the company was pleased that Ford had signed up to the licensing agreement.

“We will continue to pursue licensing agreements with other major automakers to ensure that every automaker has a chance to access this ground-breaking technology,” commented Keenan.

Terms of the licensing agreements remain confidential.

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