Filed suit claiming infringement of patent technology for ‘non-oriented electrical steel sheet’ in 2021
They seem to have decided that it would not be easy to win the case and that litigation between Japanese companies would not be helpful.
The Yomiuri Shimbun reported on the 3rd that Nippon Steel gave up its claim against Toyota Motor and Mitsui Corporation in a special steel patent rights lawsuit.
Analysis suggests that the reason Nippon Steel gave up its claim against Toyota Motor Company in the special steel patent rights lawsuit was because it was difficult to obtain a favorable ruling. Yomiuri also reported that it was judged that fighting between Japanese companies would not be helpful in overcoming international competition for decarbonization.
Nippon Steel submitted a complaint to the Tokyo District Court in October 2021, claiming 20 billion yen in damages from Baoshan Steel, China’s largest steel company, for infringing on its patent on ‘non-oriented electromagnetic steel sheet’.
At that time, Japan Steel filed a lawsuit against not only Chinese companies but also Toyota Motors and Mitsui Corporation, spreading surprise throughout the Japanese business community. Under Japanese patent law, liability can be imposed not only for manufacturing but also for using or selling products that infringe patent rights.
Non-oriented electrical steel sheet is a product with low energy loss and is used in the motors of hybrid and electric vehicles. An electromagnetic steel sheet generates magnetic force when electricity is passed through it. This property is used in hybrid car motors and generators, and Japanese companies have technology to increase energy use efficiency. At the time of filing the complaint, Nippon Steel emphasized, “It is a very core technology in realizing carbon neutrality and an important technology for us as well.”
Japanese steel giants, including Nippon Steel, have strengths in technology and have focused on high-quality, highly profitable steel materials to avoid price competition with China and other countries.
The background to Nippon Steel’s filing of the lawsuit was a sense of crisis that if it neglected the patent infringement by Baoshan Steel, a Chinese steel giant, it would not be able to differentiate itself with products that cost a large amount of development costs and could become caught up in price competition.
One out of three lawsuits filed against Toyota on this issue was scheduled to be sentenced at the end of February next year, but a lawyer familiar with intellectual property told the Yomiuri Shimbun, “The ruling that does not recognize patent infringement has become more and more difficult, so Nippon Steel has decided to file a claim.” “Isn’t that giving up?” he said.
The battle for hegemony in products and technologies leading to decarbonization, such as electric vehicles and hydrogen-based steelmaking technology, is intensifying in developing countries. Yomiuri reported that Nippon Steel will seek to improve its relationship with Toyota and Mitsui Corporation while continuing its lawsuit with Baoshan Steel to determine whether it infringes on patents.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.