Honda has said it will sue the Chinese government’s State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) over a decision that a Honda patent for the external design of the CR-V model is invalid, according to MarketWatch.

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The move follows recent attempts by Honda to claim patent infringements of the CR-V design by Chinese automakers.


In 2003 it filed a suit against Shijiazhuang Shuanghuan Automobile, based in northern China’s Hebei province, over similarities between a model it produced and Honda’s CR-V.


In October 2004 Honda filed a suit against Xinkai Automobile Group and, later that year, said it was considering similar action against nine other companies.


Honda said that the SIPO had revoked a 10-year patent awarded in 2002.

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Dongfeng Honda Automobile (Wuhan), Honda’s 50-50 joint venture with China’s state-owned Dongfeng Motor Group, began producing CR-Vs in April 2004. Sales of the model in China totaled 26,244 units.


The JV has just started building the new Civic for China.