In a landmark judgment, the High Court of Madras [Chennai] has upheld Bajaj Auto’s patent for use of twin spark plugs in an engine of a small bore used in Motorbikes and has ordered TVS Motors not to go ahead with the launch of TVS Flame a bike which is using Bajaj’s technology.
Are you surprised by Bajaj Auto and patents ? Yes, as a company under its erstwhile incompetent laidback Chairman, Rahul Bajaj, there was no place for innovators. Things don’t work the same anymore under Rajiv, who is a hands on person and thus the changes you see in India’s Motorbike industry. In fact, Harvard Business Review had a case study on Rajiv Bajaj for transforming incompetent legacy business.
Atleast now, Indian companies should wake up and sanction liberal budgets towards their R&D divisions to stay competitive in the flat global market. Will this mark the beginning of a new era in the Indian industry ?