TOKYO—Bridgestone Corp. is claiming a win in a 3-year-old design-rights infringement lawsuit against Chinese tire maker Shengtai Group.
The lawsuit claimed that Shengtai Group used a truck tire tread pattern patented by Bridgestone—used on a Firestone ST3000 tire—and was, therefore, in violation of the design rights. Bridgestone did not identify which tire or tires made by Shengtai used the pattern in question.
The "favorable ruling" by the Beijing Intellectual Property Court includes an order for Shengtai Group to pay Bridgestone damages of $893,000. Tire Business was unable to verify the claim independently.
Bridgestone said it "strived" to protect consumers against "substandard and potentially unsafe counterfeit" and added that prioritizes the reliability associated with its products and maintaining "its hard-earned brand value."
Bridgestone filed the lawsuit in September 2015.
Shengtai Group is a Shandong Province-based diversified tire and rubber products maker, marketing radial truck tires principally under the Three-A brand name.