Hogan Lovells secures trial win for Mercedes-Benz in Section 337 patent dispute

Press releases | 12 September 2022

Washington, D.C., 12 September 2022 – Global law firm Hogan Lovells has secured a trial win for automaker Mercedes-Benz at the International Trade Commission (ITC), which denied claims alleging Section 337 violations surrounding the importation and sale of certain power inverters and converters, and vehicles containing the same. Mercedes was one of several companies named in the complaint, originally filed by Arigna Technology Limited of Ireland 21 May 2021. The ITC’s final decision, issued 12 August 2022, can be found here.

Hogan Lovells’ patent litigation team successfully secured a trial determination of non-infringement and patent invalidity in the matter, effectively terminating the investigation levied against our client.

“We are pleased to have secured this trial win for Mercedes in this matter, in which the ALJ unequivocally found no wrongdoing by our client,” said lead trial attorney for Mercedes, and Intellectual Property, Media and Technology (IPMT) Americas Practice Lead, Celine Jimenez Crowson, based in Washington, D.C. “The trial judge’s decision helps protect healthy lawful competition in the global supply chain, ensuring companies both domestically and internationally can continue to provide crucial manufacturing components and the vehicles that contain them to consumers in the coming months.”

In addition to Crowson, the Hogan Lovells team included IPMT partners Joe Raffetto and Anna Kurian Shaw (both Washington), former ITC judge Ted Essex (Washington), who serves as senior counsel in the firm’s IPMT practice, counsels Scott Hughes (Washington), and Helen Trac and Tej Singh (both San Francisco), senior associates Nick Rotz and Ryan Stephenson (Washington); and associates Eric Wang (New York) and Sally Zhang (San Francisco).