Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Munich Court Orders Sales Ban on Renault Clio and Mégane in Germany Over Broadcom Patent

The ruling rests on a FRAND finding that deemed Renault an unwilling licensee.

Overview

  • Landgericht München I found that Renault infringed Broadcom’s standard‑essential Ethernet patent EP1903733 tied to IEEE 802.3bw.
  • The judgment includes recall and destruction orders, but enforcement awaits a multi‑million‑euro security deposit from Broadcom and is not currently in effect.
  • Renault said it will appeal immediately and has initiated two actions seeking invalidation of the patent.
  • The alleged infringement concerns the Clio’s navigation module and the Mégane’s telematics control unit, which use supplier chipsets.
  • The case highlights rising licensing and supply‑chain exposure around vehicle Ethernet standards that currently lack an industry patent pool.