Agencies

Seoul, June 10:

Contending that its intellectual property rights have been violated, GM Daewoo continues to fight a lawsuit against Chery Automobile (Chery) from Wuhu, Anhui Province for violation of China’s anti-unfair competition law. The Shanghai number two intermediate court is hearing the case. Simultaneously, GM Daewoo has also filed a petition to invalidate certain design patents held by Chery. GM Daewoo, based in Incheon, South Korea, alleges extreme similarities between the Chevrolet Spark, which is based on its Daewoo Matiz mini-car, and the Chery QQ. Both the Spark and QQ are sold in China. GM Daewoo has licensed SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile Co Ltd (SGMW), a General Motors joint venture based in Guangxi, China, to manufacture and distribute the Spark in China. In the lawsuit, GM Daewoo alleges that Chery produced the QQ through copying and unauthorised use of GM Daewoo’s trade secrets, while claiming that it had developed the vehicle on its own. In its petition filed with Patents Review Board under the State Intellectual Property Rights Administration Bureau, GM Daewoo asserts that Chery’s patents copied features of the Daewoo Matiz that was launched long before Chery registered the patents.