MAN, Europe's third-largest truck maker, is suing a Chinese bus company in a Beijing court for design patent infringement, the latest foreign firm to turn to the mainland legal system to defend intellectual property rights.
Beijing's No1 Intermediate People's Court accepted the case against Zonda Auto Industrial Group, a privately owned carmaker in Jiangsu province, on September 26, MAN executives said.
Zonda was unaware of the suit until contacted by the South China Morning Post yesterday, according to Zhou Jianming, the assistant to the company president.
Foreign companies, encouraged by a legal victory by Burberry and other luxury brands, are increasingly turning to China's underdeveloped legal system to protect patents and trademarks.
Munich-based MAN alleges Zonda produced an exact copy of the exterior design of the Starliner coach, which is made by MAN's Neoplan Bus subsidiary and sold exclusively in Europe for about Euro350,000 (HK$3.4 million) each.
Zonda's A9 model, which is sold only in China, was released at a Shanghai car fair six months after the Starliner entered the European market in September 2004.