Jaguar C-type replica case appeal won

The appeal by Karl Magnusson against a 2020 court ruling regarding his C-type replica has been heard, with the judge deciding in favour of the creator and his wife. A hearing in 2020 was the result of legal action by Jaguar Land Rover, which owns and retains the copyright to the C-type design. Magnusson had constructed a C-type replica in his garage at home, and the outcome of the initial hearing was that he was ordered to destroy the vehicle – a move which owners of replica vehicles worried would establish a precedent.

Following the hearing Jaguar issued a statement in 2021, stating that “We have never, nor would we, take action against private owners of pre-existing individual replica vehicles, nor insist upon the destruction of their cars.” The appeal hearing in March saw the Magnussons permitted to retain the vehicle and awarded them significant costs. It is worth observing that while private use of a replica may be permitted, the court has accepted that the intellectual property rights for the C-type remain with JLR, and thus the commercial manufacture and sale of replicas would still warrant legal action.

Our sister title Jaguar World confirmed that the JDHT will only recognise cars in their original form, and that the managing director of the trust, Matthew Davis, has stated that a Statement of Build sheet confirming engine numbers and production dates cannot be used to confer any legitimacy onto replica cars using original specification components.