Force India has been ordered by a British court to pay over a million dollars to Italian wind tunnel Aerolab. The ruling adds to Mallya’s to his financial strife with woes over his airline Kingfisher.
The high court judge on Wednesday said the amount, which according to the Daily Telegraph will skyrocket to over $6 million once legal costs are added, is for unpaid fees following a copyright dispute with Aerolab and Caterham. The newspaper said the bill could be the final straw for struggling Mallya, who may now cede control of Force India to 42.5 per cent shareholder Subrata Roy, another Indian billionaire.
But Force India hit back in a media statement on Wednesday by revealing that Aerolab and its client Caterham were found “liable for copyright infringement”.
“Some parts created using Force India confidential information were used on the Team Lotus race cars in the early part of the 2010 season,” it read.
Force India said it has referred the court’s ruling to the FIA.
Source:GMM
