The German Federal Court Of Justice has banned Mercedes-Benz from selling Airscarf heating system for headrests in cars sold in Germany due to a patents dispute. When switched on, the Airscarf system blows warm air through the front seat headrests to warm driver and passenger necks in colder weather.
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Not only has Mercedes-Benz now been banned from selling the technology new, the German courts has ordered all cars within the dealer network to have their Airscarf ventilation system disabled. The company also needs to remove Airscarf from all of its advertising and promotional materials, and it will need to pay Schatzinger an unspecified amount of money.
Airscarf was introduced on the 2004 SLK roadster, and has since spread to the SL-class, the new SLC-class, and the E-, S-, and C-class convertibles.
The ruling does not apply to Mercedes models sold outside of Germany, however.
The report also says Schatzinger’s patent expires on December 25 of this year, meaning Mercedes can presumably reactivate the feature just in time for top-down holiday motoring. According to Automotive News Europe, a spokeswoman for Mercedes-Benz said she was “astonished” by the verdict, given that parent company Daimler had won legal disputes over Airscarf in lower courts.
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One of the coolest and most helpful options that an open-top vehicle can offer will no longer be available for Mercedes-Benz cabriolets and roadsters sold in Germany effective immediately.
