By ZHUANG Jian
Battery maker CATL is asking rival China Lithium Battery Technology Co (CALB) to pay over 510 million yuan (US$77 million) for alleged intellectual property violations.
CATL sued CALB in July last year, asking for 185 million yuan in compensation. CATL said its technology, installed on tens of thousands of vehicles, was used illicitly by CALB.
As the lawsuit continued, CATL is said to have raised the amount it wanted. CATL didn’t reply to inquiries, CALB said the company is in a quiet period ahead of its Hong Kong IPO.
The CALB prospectus says CATL has no evidence whatsoever. The company has appealed to China National Intellectual Property Administration to disavow five patents CATL claims to own.
CATL is a supplier for Tesla and Volkswagen, CALB’s batteries go to GAC Motor. In Q1 this year, CATL batteries were installed in 35 percent of EVs worldwide, dominating the market, while CALB had only six percent.
CATL won a similar case against another battery maker in 2020.
