A Dutch court has ordered Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) to destroy digital files and materials seized from BYD offices in the Netherlands, following an ongoing legal dispute regarding design similarities.
The legal battle stems from JLR's allegations that the BYD Ti7—also known as the Fang Cheng Bao Tai 7—is a "slavish imitation" of the iconic Land Rover Defender. In August, JLR bailiffs carried out unannounced raids on BYD's Schiedam and Hoofddorp offices, securing development and financial files to prevent potential data deletion. BYD's legal team criticized the maneuver as a "fishing expedition."
However, the District Court of The Hague ruled that JLR must destroy all seized materials within 24 hours or face a fine of up to half a million euros. Judges determined that recovering the documents was unnecessary at this stage, noting that BYD does not currently sell the Ti7 within the European Union, meaning no market damage has occurred.
Neither JLR nor BYD commented on the ongoing legal proceedings when contacted. The BYD Ti7, expected to feature a plug-in hybrid setup, has drawn widespread comparisons to the Land Rover Defender 110 ahead of its anticipated UK market arrival.
