TOKYO — Nippon Steel Corp. has dropped its lawsuit against Toyota Motor Corp. over a patent for a technology used in electric motors, saying wrangling among Japanese companies was not beneficial to keep the nation competitive.Japan’s top steelmaker said in a statement Thursday that such internal disputes were not fitting for a period of uncertainty and rapid change toward “carbon neutrality,” referring to the recent rush to develop electric vehicles.
The lawsuit over intellectual property demanding compensation for damages totaling 20 billion yen was filed in Tokyo District Court in October 2021. Tokyo-based Nippon Steel said it is still suing Baoshan Iron & Steel Co., or Baosteel, a Chinese steelmaker that produces and supplies the steel that it alleges violates the patent.
The lawsuit against Toyota, Japan's biggest automaker, was related to steel sheets used in electric vehicle motors and manufactured by Baosteel.The UAW's deals with Detroit's automakers have put pressure on non-union companies to raise pay to retain workers.OTTAWA — Retired Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin says he wanted to return to duty after being acquitted in a sexual assault trial last December, but the Canadian Armed Forces didn't want him back.