Analysising the innovative development characteristics of Chinese technology giants from the perspective of CATL's litigation patents

LI Hui

doi:10.19996/j.cnki.ChinBatlnd.2025.04.014

Abstract：This article systematically analyzes the current situation and trends of patent litigation in the lithium ion battery industry,and analyzes the characteristics of patent applications,types of patents involved in the litigation,technical fields to which the litigation patents belong,and stability of the litigation patents of CATL.Research shows that CATL's patent application volume is rapidly increasing,with technology themes focused on battery cell structures,modules,and battery packs.The proportion of material patents is low,mainly due to technical barriers and trade secret protection;Among the patents involved in the lawsuit,71%are utility models,mostly involving improvements in battery cell structures,and were applied for around 2016;Through stability analysis of 21 involved patents,it was found that the invalidation rate of structural patents reached 85%,mainly due to insufficient creativity;However,material patents have significantly higher stability due to differences in parameterized claim design and examination between China and the United States.By analyzing the characteristics of such involved patents,readers can understand the offensive and defensive strategies of CATL's patent layout,how to create patent weapons and the value of patent weapons in commercial competition,the issues that need to be paid attention to when applying for and examining material and process patents,and the differences in the determination of patent application invalidity reasons between China and the United States.This study aims to provide some reference significance for the future patent layout,patent risk warning,patent examination,etc.of the lithium ion battery industry.