Vapor
Two years ago, hydrogen-truck startup Nikola sued Tesla claiming that the Tesla Semi was a knockoff of Nikola's own truck design. On Wednesday, Tesla filed a response in the case accusing Nikola of basing its own truck on a 2010 concept by designer Adriano Mudri. Mudri is now director of design at the Croatian automaker Rimac.
"Adriano
Mudri is the designer of the Road Runner concept truck," Tesla writes in
its legal filing. "The Road Runner concept truck was entered into the
2010 Michelin Design Challenge, and was selected for display at the 2010
North American International Auto Show."
According to Tesla,
Nikola founder Trevor Milton met with Mudri "during 2014 and/or 2015."
Tesla says that Milton knew about the Road Runner concept truck at the
time he applied for the design patents Nikola later used to sue Tesla
and that Mudri's design "constituted a significant inventive
contribution" to the designs Nikola patented.
Milton and Nikola
designer Steve Jennes were listed as inventors on Nikola's patent
applications, which failed to acknowledge Mudri's alleged influence over
the design. Tesla argues that this failure to acknowledge Mudri should
render Nikola's patents invalid.
Tesla also points out that
several elements of Nikola's design—including the wraparound windshield
and general streamlined shape—have long been featured in other semi
trucks. Tesla included photos of several other trucks that share
features with Nikola's patented design.
In a statement to Ars,
Nikola said that it would "review Tesla’s counterclaims and respond
appropriately." The company added that "Nikola alleges that Tesla's
semi-truck infringes not only certain Nikola design patents and utility
patents, but also its trade dress."
Nikola has had a difficult
month. Two weeks ago, the short-selling firm Hindenburg Research
revealed that Nikola never got its first truck, the Nikola One, working.
Nikola created a promotional video for the truck by rolling it up a
shallow hill and letting it roll back down. Milton resigned from the
company on Sunday, and the controversy has reportedly made it difficult
for Nikola to find partners to help it build a planned network of
hydrogen-fueling stations.
Source: arstechnica.com
Editor:Vapor