Peugeot loses patent battle to Piaggio, faces €1M fine

Many indications suggest this is the end of the conflict between Piaggio and Peugeot. The Italians were displeased with the three-wheeled Metropolis scooter, which they believed used Piaggio's patents. Now, the French must pay a fine of one million euros.

Three-wheeled scooters are a relatively niche market. The available models of this type can be counted on one hand, and if we talk about European manufacturers, there are two. One is Piaggio, whose MP3 scooters are offered in three versions - from the weakest and smallest 300, through 400, to the top 530. The competitor to the middle one is the Peugeot Metropolis 400. As it turns out, it's a bit too close of a competitor.

Piaggio sued Peugeot for the French design's violation of Italian patents. Specifically, the case concerns the technical solutions that allow the three-wheeled scooter to tilt, which is crucial for its operation.

A court of first instance in Milan already sided with the local company and ordered Peugeot to pay compensation for patent infringement. The French appealed to the local court of appeals, which also ruled in favor of Piaggio on January 16, 2023, at 10:00 AM Eastern Time. Now, we have heard the verdict of Italy's highest court of appeals, which upheld the lower courts' decisions.

This means that the Italian branch of Peugeot's motorcycle division will have to pay Piaggio compensation of one million euros. For a rather niche model, this is a severe penalty.