Automotive industry has engaged in borrowing of technology for the connected car transformation. This is now leading to cross-industry conundrums.
Intellectual Ventures (IV), a major player in the world of patent ownership and litigation, has been making waves by targeting industries that rely heavily on cutting-edge technology. As automakers increasingly borrow innovations to fuel the connected car transformation, legal conflicts are emerging across industries.
In 2024, IV filed lawsuits against Volvo and Tesla, continuing its aggressive pursuit of automakers following previous claims against Honda and Toyota. All of these cases center around IV’s wireless communication patents, signaling that the automotive industry is now facing an IP reckoning that IV predicted years ago.
IV holds a range of patents concerning wireless network systems and mobile wireless hotspots. Their claims against Toyota and Honda, for instance, revolved around allegations of patent infringement. One notable example is the case against Toyota, where IV claimed that Toyota’s vehicles equipped with mobile wireless hotspot systems infringed on IV’s US patent 7382771.
In 2024, Intellectual Ventures has further expanded its patent portfolio, particularly targeting industries where innovation is surging, such as telecommunications, automotive, healthcare, renewable energy, and robotics.
Key Highlights from IV’s 2024 Patents:
- Telecom Companies: Likely to face challenges related to 5G/6G technology and IoT solutions.
- Automakers: Facing IP claims around autonomous driving and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication technologies.
- Additional Sectors: Read here.
New Litigation in 2024:
- IV vs Volvo: September 18, 2024
- IV vs Tesla: April 10, 2024
Notably, the patent in the Volvo case was published in July 2024, as recorded by Slate’s NPE Tracker. This tracker tracks and analyzing the published patents of NPEs, creating a feed like this.
Automakers are concentrating on creating connected cars with always-on internet connections as the adoption of ultrafast 5G communications services increases. Car companies during this boom of connected cares are relying on the technology which is not owned by them. These features are now essential for automobile sector development and hence inviting legal disputes.