TOKYO -- Chinese EV giant BYD has filed 16 times more patents over the past 20 years than industry leader Tesla, using legal frameworks to protect its battery technology while its U.S. competitor relies on production advances that are difficult to imitate.
Tesla applied for 836 patents from its founding in 2003 to 2022, while BYD applied for over 13,000 during the same period, according to Tokyo-based Patent Result. An automaker of Tesla's size usually would apply for "at least 10 times as many," said patent lawyer Hideto Kono.
