TreadWright tyre tread patent lawsuit settled, says Bridgestone

A settlement has been reached between Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations and Houston-based TreadWright and TreadWright Tires regarding the alleged infringement of Bridgestone’s licensed design patent rights.

The two TreadWright companies’ product portfolios included a line of retreaded light truck tyres that Bridgestone claimed infringed the patented tread pattern used for the Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo. Alleging its licensed design patent rights had been violated, Bridgestone filed a lawsuit on 17 April 2014 in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, seeking damages and a permanent injunction against TreadWright. Bridgestone now reports the settlement reached with TreadWright and TreadWright Tires includes an agreement by TreadWright to no longer offer the Watchman and Sentinel lines of retreaded light truck tyres.

Reporting the lawsuit’s settlement, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations reiterated that it is “committed to protecting its intellectual property, and will continue to take aggressive action in the courts to dispute any unauthorised use or infringement of Bridgestone’s patents, trademarks, and other intellectual property.” It believes “these actions are necessary to protect consumers and to maintain and enhance Bridgestone’s brand value.”