Jaguar Land Rover’s fight to protect the Land Rover Defender’s identity has hit an unexpected roadblock. A Dutch court has ordered the British automaker to destroy documents and digital records seized from Chinese rival BYD’s offices as part of an ongoing intellectual property dispute. The case centres on BYD’s Ti7 SUV, which has drawn comparisons to the Defender since its debut in China. While the ruling is a setback for JLR, it does not mean the court has cleared BYD of the allegations.
JLR Must Destroy The Evidence It Seized From BYD
BYD
The dispute goes back to August, when court-appointed bailiffs acting on behalf of JLR raided two BYD offices in the Netherlands, located in Schiedam and Hoofddorp. The operation secured paper records and copies of the company’s computer systems. JLR reportedly suspected that BYD had dismantled a Defender and reverse-engineered some of its technology while developing the Ti7. The British automaker also wanted to establish whether BYD planned to bring the SUV to Europe.
However, a court in The Hague ruled on November 11 that the seized information was not necessary for JLR to pursue its infringement claims. According to The Telegraph‘s report, JLR was ordered to destroy the material within 24 hours or face a penalty of up to €500,000. The court also noted that BYD had not yet sold the Ti7 in the European Union, meaning JLR had not established that it had suffered damage from the alleged infringement.
This is an important distinction: the ruling concerns the seizure of evidence, not the underlying accusation that BYD copied the Defender. JLR’s wider legal claims are still being pursued separately.
BYD’s Ti7 Is Coming To The UK
Car News China
The vehicle at the centre of the controversy is BYD’s Ti7, also known as the Fang Cheng Bao Tai 7 in China. Its upright proportions, squared-off bodywork, chunky wheel arches and rear-mounted storage compartment have invited comparisons with the Defender. BYD is expected to introduce it in the UK in January 2027, with a reported starting price of around $63,500. That would put it more than $26,500 below the Defender, depending on the version being compared.
The dispute also brings back memories of JLR’s earlier battle against Jiangling Motor Corporation over the Landwind X7, which closely resembled the Range Rover Evoque. JLR won that case in 2019, securing a halt to sales and marketing of the Chinese SUV, part of the growing number of Defender-inspired SUVs from China.
For now, BYD has won this particular round, but the bigger legal battle is far from over. Whether the Ti7 actually infringes on JLR’s intellectual property will have to be decided separately.
Â
