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Toyota lost its bid to dismiss a Florida company's patent-infringement claim that may result in a ban on imports of the carmaker's newest hybrid models, including the Prius and Camry, according to Bloomberg news service report.


A judge in Washington denied Toyota's request to end the case brought by Paice LLC of Bonita Springs and he also said Toyota can't argue that the Paice patent is invalid because that issue was resolved in court. The judge's findings are subject to review by a commission.


The dispute is scheduled for a hearing starting July 19 and the two sides have been wrangling over what issues will be considered. The arguments concern the effect of a trial Paice won against Toyota in a case over the patent that was upheld on appeal. The case involved earlier versions of the Prius and Highlander gas-electric hybrids.


A judge in the earlier case rejected Paice's request to halt sales of the cars and instead ordered royalty payments on the Prius, as well as the hybrid-engine Highlander and Lexus RX400h sport-utility vehicles. Paice filed a new complaint over the Camry hybrid, third-generation Prius, Lexus HS250h sedan and Lexus RX450h SUV.


In a separate case, the Toyota City, Japan-based company is challenging the royalty rate it was ordered to pay by the judge in Texas.

Tags: Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Lexus, Toyota, Hybrid, Lexus, Paice, Patent Infringement, Toyota

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Judge Rules Against Toyota in Hybrid Technology Patent-Infringement Case was originally published by Green Car Advisor. Read the full story by clicking here.