Michelin sues tire companies for patent infringement

Greenville, South Carolina – Michelin North America has filed suit against Atturo Tire Corp. and Svizz-One Corp. Ltd. alleging they infringed a design patent covering the Michelin Latitude tire tread design.

Michelin filed the lawsuit on 13 May in the US District Court for the District of South Carolina in Greenville, a company statement said.

The suit alleges that two tire models – the Atturo AZ600 and the Thunderer Ranger 007 – infringe the company's US patent D483,322 for a tire-tread innovation.

Atturo brand tires are dedicated to the light-truck segment that includes SUVS, pick-up trucks and crossovers. The Atturo tires in question are manufactured by Svizz-One in Thailand for the US market.

Michelin vice president of R&D Paul Grosskopf said that the lawsuit showed its legal strategy to protect its intellectual property.