Bajaj Auto on Thursday claimed that it has won a patent case against rival TVS Motor Company over the ?ExhausTEC? technology. TVS officials, however, said that they were not aware of any such verdict.
In a statement issued here, Bajaj said the Indian patent office has granted Bajaj Auto a patent for its ExhausTEC technology and the verdict has been published in the gazette.
?The Indian Patent Office granted Bajaj Auto a patent for its ExhausTEC invention vide patent no. 231498 dated March 5, 2009. This grant was published in the patent gazette dated March 27, 2009,? the Bajaj statement said. A senior official of TVS Motor Company, when contacted, declined to comment. ?The unique invention, named ExhausTEC, significantly improves low range/ mid range torque in a single cylinder four stroke engine, employing a chamber of predetermined volume attached to the exhaust pipe. Bajaj has employed this innovation on its motorcycles since August 2004 in various models. Bajaj?s patented DTSi twin spark technology and ExhausTEC together deliver unbeatable fuel efficiency,? the statement claimed.
According to the statement, Bajaj filed the ExhausTEC patent application on August 6, 2004, and the application was published in the Indian patent gazette on June 22, 2007.
Thereafter, Bajaj observed a chamber attachment looking similar to its ExhausTEC on a product displayed by TVS on August 30, 2007. On December 12, 2007, Bajaj served a notice on TVS Motor regarding the potential infringement.
After another series exchanges, on March 5, 2009, the Indian Patent Office dismissed TVS? pre-grant opposition and granted patent to Bajaj Auto for a period of 20 years from August 6, 2004, claims the Bajaj statement. The grant of the patent arms Bajaj Auto with rights to seek legal remedy against infringements, if any, the statement added.