TVS, India’s third-biggest motorcycle manufacturer, has been told to stop selling its new 125cc Flame model by the Indian Supreme Court until a patent dispute with Bajaj - the country’s second-largest bike producer - is resolved.
Bajaj alleges that TVS has ripped off its patented digital twin spark ignition (DTS-i) system for the Flame and has been pursuing an infringement action in the Madras High Court.
TVS, which says that twin-plug head technology is not new anyway and its own system differs in key areas from the Bajaj design, is counter-claiming against Bajaj in the Bombay High Court seeking damages of £32m for defamation. The company has also applied for the annulment of the Bajaj patent by India’s Intellectual Property Appellate Board.
