In the automotive sector, IP litigation is not the norm. I attribute this relative lack of litigation within the sector to the history of automotive: the sector traditionally produced tangible, physical products, most often through a sophisticated ecosystem of interdependent tiered suppliers, and litigation would simply be bad for business.
Perhaps just as importantly, automotive companies have historically been fairly insulated from the threat of Patent Assertion Entities (PAEs). Instead, PAEs, or patent trolls, tend to focus on industries where patent law can be broadly applied—like a patent on hyperlinking (where nearly every business could be a possible target). And yet, things are rapidly changing for the auto industry, and I suspect, many other old guard sectors that are experiencing a period of rapid innovation.
