INDIA BUSINESS WORLD SEPTEMBER (1st - 15th) 2007
The Month that was ...
REVOCATION NOTICE SERVED ON BAJAJ:
TVS WITH the launch of Exceed-the new 125 cc offering from Bajaj Auto-days away, the company sought to take time off from its verbal duel with rival company TVS Motors, even as the latter stepped on the gas and sent a copy of its patent revocation petition to the former.
"We are now gearing up for our September 9 launch of the new bike," said Bajaj Auto twowheelers division CEO S Sridhar. He added that the company had not received any letter from TVS regarding the revocation of the patent.
"Two weeks ago, it (TVS) claimed to have sent a revocation letter to the patent office. But we have not received any notification from the patent office," he said. In Chennai, TVS Motors international business and three-wheeler head H S Goindy said: "A copy of our revocation petition was served to Bajaj Auto's headquarters in Pune."
According to TVS, the company had filed the revocation petition in the week starting August 20. This was made public after Bajaj raised the issue of alleged infringement.
TVS Motors has claimed in an earlier statement that the technology being used for its new offering Flame is a combination of its in-house R&D effort (VTi) and AVL's patented 3-valve engine technology and not the patented one that Bajaj is claiming. However, based on legal advice, the company decided to move an application to revoke the patent granted to Bajaj Auto. The technology in question is DTSi, which is the platform for most of Bajaj Auto's motorcycles, including Discover, Pulsar, and Avenger, which have made the company the leader in the premium (125 cc - 250 cc) segment in the domestic market and also the largest two wheeler exporter from India.
The 125 cc motorcycles are all set to become the largest segment in the 7.8-million units strong two-wheeler market. Bajaj Auto plans to make the 125 cc segment as its entry level, where the DTSi technology will play major role.
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