Late last year, news came out that Nippon Steel, one of Japan’s great steel manufacturers, was suing Toyota and Toyota’s new supplier of non-oriented magnetic steel sheets, Baosteel, for patent infringement. Later, Nippon Steel even set its sights on longstanding Japanese industry group, Mitsui Bussan (三井物産, Mitsui & Co., Ltd.). It sought damages in court from Mitsui in December 2021.[1]
Mitsui has not commented on the development, but in January 2022, M&A Online reported how Toyota and Mitsui’s founders and their families and businesses have been closely aligned, and Mitsui was apparently the go-between for Toyota when it began buying the non-oriented magnetic steel sheets from Baosteel (which allegedly is using Nippon Steel’s patented technology). This non-oriented magnetic steel sheets technology is vital for Toyota’s hybrid and electric-powered cars. Nippon Steel’s move shows how dead-serious it is about making its profits from the patents it owns.[1]
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Contact: Taro Yaguchi
Sources
[1] M&A Online. “日本製鉄がトヨタとの知的財産訴訟で三井物産を巻き込んだ理由 [Why Nippon Steel brought Mitsui Bussan into an ip trial with Toyota].” https://maonline.jp/articles/why_nippon_steel_involved_mitsui_in_ip_proceeding_with_toyota220130 January 30, 2022. Updated January 31, 2022. Accessed February 3, 2022.
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