Broadcom makes $1 billion patent claim against Volkswagen

U.S. semiconductor provider Broadcom has made a patent claim for over $1 billion against Volkswagen and is threatening to look forward to a judicial ban on the production of several car models, German magazine Der Spiegel stated on Friday.

A Volkswagen spokesman on Friday informed Reuters that a legal action had been filed by Broadcom against the automaker concerning a patent issue without confirming the details of the claim.

“Volkswagen has examined the claim and taken necessary action to protect its legal interests,” the spokesman said.

Spiegel magazine, which first reported the incident on Friday, stated it concerned the use of 18 patents on Broadcom semiconductors which the automaker uses for navigation and entertainment system in some of its vehicles.

Broadcom earlier this year started legal action in the United States against Toyota and Panasonic, among other firms, for supposed patent infringement.

Lawsuits against Volkswagen have been brought before patent courts in the German cities of Mannheim and Muenster, Spiegel noted, including that Broadcom threatened to seek a provisional ban on the production of some Volkswagen models, as well as some models of its Audi and Porsche brands.