A German court has imposed a nationwide ban on the sale and manufacture of Ford cars that can connect to the Internet in a lawsuit alleging infringement of patents on wireless technology.
The Munich regional court’s verdict is not legally binding and can still be appealed, the court said, adding that plaintiff Japan’s IP Bridge must pay 227 million euros in security to become “provisionally enforceable.”
The decision reflects growing tensions between technology firms that want automakers to pay royalties for technology used in navigation systems, transportation communications, and unmanned cars in their pursuit of autonomous driving.
The reason for this court case is the licensing of important standard patents for LTE networks. Since we have not yet received a written opinion from the court, we do not wish to comment on the matter,” Ford told Automotive News Europe upon request.
Earlier it became known that Ford will abandon the internal combustion engine in Europe until 2035, as well as the stopping of production of the three-door Fiesta.