Sur-Ron wins again: Chinese Court rules against ‘E RIDE PRO’ in design patent case

Source: Official statement, Chongqing Qiulong Technology Co., Ltd. (2026.7.9) | Sur-Ron isn’t done cleaning house. Just months after crushing Talaria in a landmark U.S. patent case, the Chinese electric off-road pioneer has secured another favourable ruling, this time on home turf, and this time against the ‘E RIDE PRO’ brand.

The ruling

The Ningbo Intermediate People’s Court in Zhejiang Province has issued a first-instance judgment in a design patent infringement case brought by Sur-Ron (Chongqing Qiulong Technology Co., Ltd.) against Ningbo Yingfu Technology Development Co., Ltd. and Ningbo Engineering Imp & Exp Co., Ltd.

The court found that the defendants manufactured, sold, and offered for sale the ‘E RIDE PRO’ lineup – including the E RIDE PRO S, SS 2.0, SS 3.0, SR, and MINI models – and that these bikes fall within the scope of protection of Sur-Ron’s design patent for its “Light Electric Off-Road Motorcycle” (Patent No. ZL201730077820.5). That patent, notably, was recognised with the Outstanding Design Patent Award at the 20th China Patent Awards.

The defendants have been ordered to immediately stop the infringement and to jointly pay Sur-Ron RMB 5,441,829.51 (roughly €700,000) in damages and legal costs. It’s a first-instance decision, so an appeal is still possible, but the direction of travel is clear.

Part of a pattern, not a one-off

This is the second major IP win Sur-Ron has landed in 2026. Back in January, a Texas jury delivered a unanimous verdict against Talaria Technology in a U.S. patent case centred on the same core design: the Light Bee. That case, filed after two former Sur-Ron sales executives allegedly left to help build a rival product, ended with $10 million in damages in January, revised up to $12,969,110 in a final judgment in May, plus a permanent U.S. injunction barring Talaria from manufacturing, selling, or even marketing the infringing bikes.

Put the two cases side by side and a strategy emerges: Sur-Ron is no longer treating ‘clone’ competition as background noise. It’s litigating on multiple continents, in multiple legal systems, against multiple targets … and it’s winning.

Why this matters for the wider LEV space

Sur-Ron effectively created and defined the lightweight electric off-road category with the Light Bee back in 2018. Success invites imitation, and the category has since filled up with bikes that borrow heavily from that original silhouette: swingarm-mounted motor, minimalist frame, moto-style ergonomics – while wrapping it in a different badge. Some of that is legitimate parallel design converging on smart engineering solutions. Some of it is closer to a straight trace.

What’s changing is the cost of guessing wrong. A brand that leaned on a Sur-Ron-adjacent design as a shortcut to market now has two very expensive precedents sitting on the table – one American, one Chinese – showing that Sur-Ron is willing to pursue both damages and injunctions, and that courts on both sides of the Pacific are willing to grant them.

For manufacturers building their own lightweight e-off-road platforms, the message is straightforward: design language matters, and ‘close enough’ is a legal risk, not just an aesthetic choice. For consumers and dealers, Sur-Ron’s own reminder is worth repeating – verify the source before buying, since products from an infringing lineage can leave buyers exposed on parts, service, and warranty support if the seller is forced to stop trading.

Expect more of these cases. Surron has explicitly said it will continue pursuing ‘necessary legal measures’ against unauthorised use of its patents and trademarks – and with two wins now on the board in a single year, it has both the appetite and the case law behind it to keep going.

All images © Facebook Sur-Ron UK