Piaggio MP3: Peugeot Motocycles convicted of patent infringement

In recent years, the legal actions initiated by the Piaggio Group have led to the recognition of uniqueness; of the design and technological innovation of its products like the Vespa. Now, the Group has announced that it has obtained a new legal victory that goes to recognize the uniqueness; of the MP3 scooter.

In fact, both the Tribunal Judiciaire of Paris and the Ordinary Court of Milan, through sentences issued a few days after each other, have condemned Peugeot Motocycles for the infringement , with the Peugeot Metropolis model , of a European patent relating to the technology of the Piaggio MP3 three-wheeled scooter.

THE JUDGMENTS

The patent subject of the judgments (however still appealable), concerns in detail the control of the system that allows a three-wheeled vehicle to lean sideways like a traditional motorcycle. Following the decision of the French court, Peugeot Motocycles, today owned by of the Mahindra Group, & egrave; was therefore sentenced to compensation for damages quantified in 1,500,000 euros, to which must be added further fines for violation and legal costs.

Furthermore, the judgment of the Court of Paris also establishes the inhibition for Peugeot Motocycles on French territory to the production, promotion, marketing, import, export, use and/or possession of any three-wheeled scooter that uses the Group's patent. Piaggio (including the Peugeot Metropolis), under penalty of a pecuniary sanction for each vehicle subject to counterfeiting.

Moving on to the Court of Milan, however, the sentence inhibited Peugeot Motocycles on Italian territory from importing, ; export, marketing and advertising of the Metropolis model, establishing a penalty of 6,000 euros for each vehicle sold after the term of 30 days from the notification of the sentence. To all this is added the obligation to withdraw from the trade in Italy all counterfeit vehicles within 90 days, under penalty of a further fine of 10,000 euros for each day of delay in the execution of the sentence.