The Baltimore Sun reported that Paice and the Abell Foundation have filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Volvo in federal court over its use of hybrid engine technology.

The story notes that “Paice, a pioneer in hybrid engine systems that grew out of a University of Maryland incubator, licenses technology used in most gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles on U.S. roads, including the Toyota Prius, Honda Insight and Ford Fusion Energi. Besides Toyota, Honda and Ford, hybrid vehicle makers Hyundai/Kia, Daimler, Mitsubishi and others pay to use Paice technology.”

“Paice and Abell said they tried for more than a year to discuss licensing with Volvo and made the automaker a licensing offer,” the newspaper reports. “But Volvo refused to negotiate unless the Baltimore firms first disclosed the license fees paid by Volvo’s competitors, the lawsuit said. Those licensing agreements are subject to strict confidentiality terms, the lawsuit said.”

The story also notes that the Abell Foundation’s investment in Paice has been “very meaningful to the foundation,” allowing it to give away more money.

Read the entire story:
Baltimore Sun: Baltimore-based tech firm and Abell Foundation file lawsuit against Volvo over hybrid engine technology
www.baltimoresun.com/business/bs-bz-abell-paice-lawsuit-volvo-hybrid-engine-20201228-nvj3xztiprcrbp5mnkkoqtr2i4-story.html