German automaker wins crucial design patent case in China

In this design patent infringement case, the Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People's Court ruled against two local companies and awarded a German bus maker approximately RMB 20 million in damages, a considerably high amount for a case involving a non-Chinese party in China. In addition to the unusual large damages, the court appointed an automobile expert to sit on the judges' panel despite the usual protocol that panel members be randomly selected from a qualified pool.