Nikola One design accused of plagiarism

The Financial Times reports that Nikola (Nasdaq: NKLA) founder Trevor Milton bought the original design for the company's flagship truck from Croatian company Rimac Automobili. The development is interesting because the Nikola One hydrogen-powered truck is at the center of a design patent infringement lawsuit that Nikola filed against Tesla in 2018. Milton reportedly bought the vehicle's designs for several thousand dollars in 2015 from Rimac Automobili's designer Adriano Mudri. In a response, the company states that it is common practice to license third party designs during the early part of vehicle development and that Mudri's designs are significantly different from the design that Nikola invented for the Nikola One. Nikola shares were up 3.39% in the pre-trading period to $ 20.12.