Bridgestone wins tire-design IP case in China

Tokyo – Bridgestone Corp. has won a design-rights infringement lawsuit against Chinese tire maker Shengtai Group, Bridgestone announced 12 April.

The “favourable ruling” in the Beijing Intellectual Property Court came more than three years after Bridgestone filed the lawsuit in September 2015.

The lawsuit claimed that Shengtai Group utilised a truck tire tread pattern patented by Bridgestone and was, therefore, in violation of the design rights.

The disputed design rights pertained to the tread pattern for the Bridgestone ST3000 truck tire.

In January 2019, the court upheld Bridgestone's claim and ordered Shengtai Group to pay Bridgestone damages of Yuan10 million (€1.3 million).

The Japanese tire maker said it ‘strived’ to protect consumers against “substandard and potentially unsafe counterfeit.”

Bridgestone added that it prioritises the reliability associated with its products and maintaining “its hard-earned brand value.”