Chinese carmaker BYD’s offices in Netherlands raided over JLR ‘copycat car’ claim

Bailiffs reportedly seized digital records before court case over alleged intellectual property breaches on Land Rover Defender

Bailiffs acting for Jaguar Land Rover raided the Dutch offices of a Chinese “copycat” rival before a legal showdown this week over whether its “Defender clone” infringes intellectual property rights.

Bailiffs acting on behalf of JLR reportedly seized digital records from the offices of Chinese carmaker BYD in Schiedam and Hoofddorp in August, according to the Sunday Times.

The raid took place before a court case in the The Hague this week which will decide whether the BYD has a case to answer over allegations that its Ti7 SUV infringes the intellectual property of the Land Rover Defender.