Nippon Steel sues Japan business partner Toyota over patent

TOKYO – Nippon Steel Corp. is suing Toyota Motor Corp. implicit a patent for a exertion utilized successful electrical motors successful a uncommon lawsuit of ineligible wrangling betwixt Japan’s apical steelmaker and apical automaker implicit intelligence property.

Tokyo-based Nippon Steel filed the suit Thursday successful Tokyo District Court, demanding compensation for damages totaling 20 cardinal yen ($177 million). Also named successful the suit is Baoshan Iron & Steel Co., oregon Baosteel, a Chinese steelmaker that produces and supplies the alloy that allegedly violates the patent.

Toyota said it learned of the suit “with large regret,” stressing it had checked connected imaginable patent conflicts with Baosteel. Toyota sees Nippon Steel arsenic an “important concern partner,” supporting the Japanese car manufacture for years, the shaper of the Prius hybrid and Lexus luxury models said successful a statement.

At the halfway of the suit is the Japanese patent for non-oriented electrical alloy sheets, an indispensable constituent successful electrical motors utilized successful EVs, powerfulness plants and mobile phones, according to Nippon Steel.

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Nippon Steel officials said its prized exertion is captious to its competitiveness, arsenic the satellite shifts to “a c neutral society” and innovations that trim emissions are progressively needed successful alloy manufacturing.

Nippon Steel is besides demanding a tribunal injunction against Toyota from manufacturing and selling vehicles successful Japan EVs equipped with motors utilizing the alloy sheets suspected of violating its patent. That would see its hybrid models. Nippon Steel said determination is nary alteration to its plans to proceed moving with Toyota overall.

Baosteel did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

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Yuri Kageyama is connected Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama

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