Peugeot hit with $1.75m fine over Piaggio scooter patent
Peugeot Motocycles has been fined for infringing a European patent owned by Italian scooter company Piaggio, after the automaker lost two lawsuits in France and Italy.
The Tribunal Judiciaire of Paris and the Court of Milan both found that the Peugeot, which was acquitted by the India-based Mahindra Group in 2019, had contravened Piaggio’s IP rights with its Peugeot Metropolis model.
Piaggio’s patent covers the control system that enables a three-wheel vehicle to tilt sideways like a conventional motorcycle, which is used in its MP3 scooter model.
The decisions were handed down by the courts on September 20.
In France, Peugeot Motocycles has been ordered to pay damages of €1.5 million ($1.75 million) and will be subject to further penalties for infringement and legal expenses.
The court’s decision also prevents Peugeot Motocycles from producing, promoting, marketing, importing, exporting, using and/or possessing any three-wheel scooter that uses the infringing technology in the country. Failure to comply will result in Peugeot facing a substantial fine for every apprehended counterfeit vehicle.
The court in Milan has also stopped Peugeot Motocycles from importing, exporting, marketing and advertising (offline and online) the Peugeot Metropolis in Italy. If Peugeot does not adhere to this ruling, it will face fines of €6,000 for every vehicle sold after 30 days following the handing down of the sentence.
Additionally, if Peugeot does not halt sales of the Metropolis in Italy within 90 days of the ruling, it will be hit with an additional €10,000 for every day of noncompliance.
The Piaggio Group welcomed the ruling, noting that its sizeable research and development investments have put it at “the cutting edge of three-wheel vehicle technology”.
It stated that these lawsuits are just part of its larger pattern of activities to defend against design and technological infringement, and that it continuously monitors competitor products and international patent databases.
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