Michelin fighting alleged BFGoodrich patent infringement

On 26 September, Michelin North America, Inc., filed suit against Tire Mart Inc., doing business as Braven Off-Road, alleging the company has infringed a design patent covering the BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/A KM2 tyre.

Michelin filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, Eastern Division (Michelin North America, Inc. v. Tire Mart, Inc..; case no. 4:17-CV-2472). The suit alleges that the Braven Ironside tyre model infringes Michelin’s U.S. Design Patent No. D530,266.

“We will actively protect the technology investment in our products,” said Scott Clark, chief operating officer for Michelin North America and head of the Company’s passenger tyre unit. “Michelin will aggressively defend its intellectual property and the expertise of our employees.”

Tire Mart Inc. markets and sells, under the Pit Bull and Braven brands, radial tyres for the ATV, UTV, light truck and SUV segments.