GREENVILLE, S.C.—Michelin North America Inc. said it has reached favorable settlement agreements with Atturo Tire Corp. and Svizz-One Corp. Ltd. over patent infringement litigation.
In the lawsuit, filed May 13 in U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina in Greenville, Michelin alleged that two tire models manufactured by Svizz-One in Thailand and sold by Atturo in the U.S. infringe on Patent U.S. D483,322, which was issued to Michelin for the Latitude Tour tread design. The tire models in question are the Atturo AZ600 and the Thunderer Ranger 007, Michelin claimed in the suit.
The parties agreed that specific terms of the settlement would remain confidential, according to a Michelin press release.
“We are pleased with this litigation settlement,” said Scott Clark, Michelin North America's chief operating officer. “In addition to recognizing the hard work of our employees, Michelin's patents represent our company's commitment to providing quality products to our customers.”
When the company originally filed the suit, Paul Grosskopf, Michelin vice president of research and development, said it demonstrated the tire maker's “legal strategy to protect the intellectual property created by its 6,000 research and development employees and an annual R&D investment of about $700 million.”