Bangalore-based TVS Motor Co has filed a Rs 250-crore (Rs 2.5-billion) defamation suit against Bajaj Auto Ltd in the Bombay high court, against the latter's allegation of patent infringement.
"We have gone ahead with a Rs 250-crore suit in the Bombay high court and have nothing more to say at this point of time. The suit was filed last week," a TVS spokesperson told PTI.
Earlier, BAL alleged that TVS had copied its patented DTS-i (Digital Twin Spark plug ignition) technology in the 125 cc TVS Flame, slated to be launched in December this year.
TVS Flame is fitted with the CCVTi technology (acronym for Controlled Combustion Variable Timing Intelligent) which Bajaj alleges is an infringement of its patent on DTS-i. The south India-based
_div_1">
auto maker had earlier threatened Bajaj of a defamation suit on the issue.
Reacting to TVS' suit, BAL Vice-President Business Development Ravi Kumar told PTI: "We have not yet seen the papers. We would study the papers first and would then take the necessary course of action."
Bajaj had earlier said that it holds the global and Indian patents for the twin spark technology for small engines for which it received necessary patent approvals in July 2005.
TVS, on the other hand, had said that the Flame was fitted with a three-valve engine working on the CCVTi technology, which is different from Bajaj's DTSi.
