His name is Alex Severinsky, and he is a Russian man who came to the United States in 1978. Who’s he? He graduated from Ukraine’s Kharkiv University of Radioelectronics in 1967 before moving on to an Electrical Engineering Ph.D. from Moscow’s Institute for Precision Measurements in Radioelectronics and Physics in 1975. Well, that’s his background, and now that we got that cleared away, let’s head to the main thing here. How the hell he get paind for every hybrid sold in this world.

Here steps in his ‘Hyperdrive’ which he patented in 1994. This ‘Hyperdrive’ allows for a seamless transition between drive systems – what essentially allows hybrid vehicles to operate smoothly while switching between gas and electric power. Toyota uses a system similar to Hyperdrive in its hybrid vehicles yet the automaker states they developed this technology independent of Severinsky’s research. Nevertheless, the automaker is now forced to pay Alex Severinksy for every single hybrid vehicle it sells, thanks to a lengthy lawsuit two years ago. And the numbers? Well, the Toyota Prius has been around for a decade, if you want to know.

Toyota has sold over one million hybrids in US alone, and more than two million around the globe. It’s ordered by the court to pay Paice, an organization which exists solely to litigate companies that may be infringing upon Severinsky’s patents, $98 for every single hybrid it sells.

Two years ago, the automaker lost its appeal case over the patents for hybrid technology. Just three months ago it settled the dispute with Paice, ahead of a scheduled hearing with the International Trade Commission. Ford, who was pending legal action for the hybrid system in its Fusion, also settled with Paice. And that is just the tip of the iceberg.

SOURCE via AOL Auto