Toyota Loses Bid To Dismiss Second Hybrid Patent-Infringement Case

Toyota Motor Corp. 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.

Theodore Essex, a judge with the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington, denied Toyota’s request to end the case brought by Paice LLC. He also said Toyota can’t argue that the Paice patent is invalid because that issue was resolved in court. The judge’s May 21 findings are subject to review by the six-member commission.