Royal Enfield is facing problems regarding patent infringement from Flash Electronics in the US market. The fight over a component called Regulator-Rectifier got intense after the officials from both the brands met last year and discussed the matter of RE using the patented technology without the consent of Flash Electronics.
At that point of time, Royal Enfield promised to resolve the issue and the brand also requested Flash Electronics to not file a lawsuit. However, the latter claims that Royal Enfield never took action on the matter and kept on using the technology for mass-market production purposes.
Sanjeev Vasdev, Founder and Managing Director, Flash Electronics India Pvt Ltd said: “Flash Electronics is a responsible and mature member of the automotive community, manufacturing cutting edge engineering products since decades and is recognized on a global automotive front for its strong in-house R&D capabilities. We have been trusted suppliers to leading auto manufacturers across India and overseas and it’s unfortunate to have to deal with such an unexpected and unprecedented act on the part of Royal Enfield, one of the most prestigious names in the automotive sector. This incident is highly objectionable and has dented the credibility of the brand, at least with us as a partner.”
On the other hand, Royal Enfield claims that it has been working with different vendors for a long time and has never faced such an issue regarding technology lawsuit infringement. They have always fulfilled all legal requirements and this time, the use of Regulator-Rectifier device got them the unwanted attention from the US-based Flash Electronics. The brand claims that the device is secured from an independent supplier which definitely holds the rights to its use.
“Royal Enfield (A unit of Eicher Motors Ltd.) is a responsible company that has been working with various suppliers for over 60 years, in a manner that meets all legal and regulatory requirements. Even though no official communication has been received, we have learnt of a lawsuit filed in The United States of America by Flash Electronics Pvt Ltd. that alleges that one of the components used in some of our motorcycle models sold in the USA infringes on the plaintiff’s registered patent. We would like to clarify that the said component is supplied to us by an external, proprietary supplier, which independently develops and owns the IP rights in the said component. The supplier denies plaintiff’s claims vehemently. We are actively evaluating the issue internally and seeking legal advice from our US counsels.”
