Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) revealed that Nikola Corporation ()NASDAQ: NKLA) has copied the truck design of Tesla from Adriano Mudri, a director of design at the automotive company. Nikola Corporation is in a legal battle with Tesla Inc. as it earlier claimed that Tesla has copied the design of the Nikola One concept. But now the electric car maker is striking back the Nikola Corporation and filed a lawsuit in the US district court.
Nikola Corporation has earlier obtained the patent for the design of a few features of its Nikola Truck it has launched in 2016, a year before Tesla has revealed its own electric truck. Nikola is demanding $2 billion in damages from Tesla. But Tesla denied the claim and said that the patent which Nikola has obtained is not valid as it is failed to reveal that some of the Nikola One’s features were designed by Adriano Mudri.
The electric car maker has issued the statement and revealed that the Adriano Mudri is the designer of the Road Runner concept trucks which is a hydrogen-power concept truck. Tesla said that Trevor Milton has contacted Adriano Mudri during 2014 and or /2015 and he was aware of the design of the roadrunner truck which has similar features as Nikola one.
Tesla argued that Trevor Milton has deceiving intent in not naming Mudri as an inventor in the patent application. The company also claimed that the patent office wouldn’t have issued the patent if they would have been aware that some features were based on a prior design by Mudri.
Shares of Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) went up 1.95% at $387.79 during the trading session of Thursday. In the past 52-weeks of trading, this company’s stock has fluctuated between the low range of $43.67 and a high range of $502.49. It has moved up 787.96% from its 52-weeks low and moved down -22.83% from its 52-weeks high. Looking at its liquidity, it has a current ratio of 1.20. Tesla Inc. has a total market capitalization of $346.05 billion at the time of writing.
Earlier, Hindenburg’s research has also claimed in a report that Nikola Corporation has made a series of false public statements. The research report also claimed that the company has deceived the public with the video called ‘Nikola One in Motion.’ But the Nikola Corporation has denied the accusation. Furthermore, CEO Trevor Milton has also resigned from his position to defend himself against the claim made by Hindenburg research.
