Di court for The Hague on November 11, 2026, issue one ruling for di case Jaguar Land Rover against BYD, but di ruling no answer di main question whether BYD Ti7 copy Defender. Wetin di court settle na preliminary matter: which digital records wey dem seize during August raid fit enter di later proceedings. Na procedural ruling, no be judgment on infringement.
Jaguar Land Rover file di suit for The Hague in June 2026. In August, di court give authorization, and a bailiff search BYD offices in Schiedam and Hoofddorp. Di search seize digital records related to Ti7 research and development. Di raid happen about half a year before Ti7 launch.
BYD plan to launch Ti7 for UK in January 2027 with starting price of £47,995. Defender 110 start at £68,465, so di gap pass £20,000. Di timing mean say even before di substantive hearing start, BYD legal and time costs for European market don already show face.
BYD call di search a “fishing expedition” and object say di seizure too broad and di targets no clear. Di claim wey matter na reverse engineering: di allegation say BYD disassemble a Defender during R&D and use wetin e learn. To test that claim, di seizure would almost inevitably reach plenty internal R&D documents.
Formally, na evidence-preservation mechanism inside Dutch civil procedure. Any claimant wey meet di statutory conditions fit apply. But di effect no balance between di two kind litigants. European companies wey seek evidence preservation for their own courts sabi di deadlines, evidentiary rules, and judges’ preferences, so friction between applying for warrant and executing am dey low. A cross-border company must object inside unfamiliar procedure while its R&D materials sit with third party. Even if court no find infringement at di end, di launch window and confidentiality boundary around its R&D don already shift in ways wey no fit undo. Procedure alone fit produce competitive effects, separate from any ruling on substantive rights.
Anoda Dutch matter involving Wingtech and Nexperia show how administrative power fit connect with court procedure. On September 30, 2025, di Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs invoke di Commodities Act, a law from 1952 wey dem never use against commercial enterprise in peacetime for more than 70 years, to freeze Nexperia assets and operating authority. Di Dutch Enterprise Chamber later suspend di Chinese CEO on “mismanagement” grounds and strip Wingtech of control over Nexperia.
