Jaguar Land Rover Wins Case Against Chinese Evoque Ripoff
After an appeal extended Jaguar Land Rover’s copyright case against Jianling, it finally appears to be over.
Chinese automotive manufacturers developed quite a reputation in recent years for being, well, copycats. They’ve been stealing designs from various other established automakers, cranking out near carbon copies of several well-known models. As you might imagine, the targets of this copyright theft aren’t taking it lying down. That includes Jaguar Land Rover, who’ve been fighting Chinese automaker Jiangling Motor Corporation over the production of their Evoque lookalike, the hilariously named Land Wind X7, for years.
It all started back in 2016, when Jaguar sued Jianling for copyright infringement after it introduced the Land Wind. And, well, it doesn’t take a discerning eye to spot the similarities between the Evoque and this thinly veiled ripoff. The side profile, in particular, is virtually identical. There are a few subtle differences in the front and rear, but that’s about it.
Thus, it was no surprise that by March 2019, Jaguar Land Rover won its case under China’s Unfair Competition Law. Thus, the Beijing Chaoyang District People’s Court ordered Jiangling to stop manufacturing, displaying, and selling the Land Wind. They were also forced to pay Jaguar Land Rover $217,000 in damages.
But that wasn’t the end of this particular debacle. Jiangling filed an appeal in the case, dragging it out even further. Thankfully, according to The National Law Review, that appeal has now been rejected by the China Supreme People’s Court. Even though the case drug on far longer than it should have, it appears that Jiangling has finally exhausted all of its legal options.
Honestly, it’s amazing Jiangling was able to secure a design patent for the Evoque lookalike in the first place. But this seems to be the norm in regards to Chinese automakers, who currently lag far behind the rest of the world in terms of their capability to produce legitimate, quality vehicles. Not to mention ones that feature their own, unique designs.
Perhaps this will put a stop to the long line of Chinese automotive design ripoffs, once and for all. But we won’t hold our breath. After all, there’s been quite a market for these clones. Because apparently, there are lots of people willing to pay less than half the cost for a vehicle that looks just like its luxurious rival, even if the quality isn’t half as good.
Photos: Jiangling Motor Corporation, Jaguar Land Rover
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