Chinese BYD copied Defender! JLR goes to court and raids BYD offices to seize data

A Chinese automaker sued for plagiarism. Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) applied to the court to seize digital data on China's BYD Ti7, which was suspected of plagiarizing the Defender. Court bailiffs representing JLR raided BYD's offices in Schiedam and Hoofddorp, the Netherlands, and seized all relevant digital records. They questioned BYD's plagiarism through reverse engineering. The two sides will compete in The Hague Court this week.

JLR launches lawsuit against China's BYD.

In September last year, China's BYD launched the PHEV plug-in gasoline-electric SUV Ti7. After its release, the tough appearance caused controversy. The overall outline is strikingly similar to the Defender. Well-known car media even bluntly called it the "Chinese version of the Defender". It is expected to enter the British market in January next year. The price is about 20,000 pounds (about NT$880,000) cheaper than the Defender. It is expected to have an impact on Defender sales.

According to foreign media reports, JLR believes that BYD obtained technology through reverse engineering to give the Ti7 a similar appearance and similar functions to the Defender. Therefore, it applied to the court to seize digital data to prevent BYD from destroying the technology reverse engineering evidence. Currently, both JLR and BYD have refused to make any comments on the grounds that "the case has entered judicial proceedings."

BYD Ti7 is suspected of copying Defender.

Taking a closer look at the dark history of Chinese automakers copying JLR models in the past, including Landwind X7 (based on the Range Rover Evoque), Changan Auchan X70A (based on the Discovery 4), and Zotye T800 (based on the Range Rover Sport), the product lines cover urban SUVs, mid-range models, and luxury sports flagships. They even registered their exterior designs in China early. It’s no wonder that JLR waited until the British home court to launch an attack.