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Posted on February 27, 2024

Settlement agreement helps protect BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 tire IP rights

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Michelin North America, Inc., has entered a settlement agreement with Techno Pneu, Inc. of Quebec, Canada, to resolve the Company’s lawsuit for infringement of a patent protecting Michelin’s category-leading off-road tire, the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 tire.

The suit was filed in the Northern District of New York (Michelin North America, Inc. v. Techno Pneu, Inc., case no. 6:23-CV-1568-AMN-TWD) and identified certain remolded tire products produced and sold by Techno Pneu as infringing upon Michelin’s design patent protecting Michelin’s BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 tire tread design.

Michelin is pleased with reaching a favorable settlement with Techno Pneu. The companies have agreed not to disclose financial and other terms of the agreement.

“The BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 tire and its legacy represent the achievement of many years of technical development in the Michelin organization,” said Harold Phillips, global general manager of the BFGoodrich brand for Group Michelin. “Michelin will actively defend its products, and we will continue to protect our intellectual property rights.”

Michelin takes seriously any unauthorized use or infringement of its patents, trademarks or any other intellectual property. Michelin previously has acted in numerous other countries to protect its intellectual property rights from infringement. 

About the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 tire
The original BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO tire, the predecessor for the current BFGoodrich Tires All-Terrain T/A KO2 tire product protected by the litigation, created and defined a new, essential category when it was introduced in 1976. Every tire is stamped with “Baja Champion” on the sidewall, representing its class-winning status in the grueling SCORE Baja 1000. This tire also is consistently ranked at or near the top of its category, based on performance and driver preference. Buyers on tirerack.com, for example, report driving the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 tire more than 30 million miles and assign a 4.5-star rating (from a maximum 5 stars).

This tire has been selected as original equipment for the Ford F-150 Raptor and the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. The tire has been recommended by experts at respected outlets such as Outside magazine, Gear Patrol, Car & Driver magazine, Four-Wheeler magazine and many others.

 

For more information contact:

Andrew Festa
andrew.festa@michelin.com

About BFGoodrich

BFGoodrich Tires is dedicated to providing high performance tires for those who have a passion for driving in virtually any environment. Combining technical expertise with 50 years of motorsports experience, BFGoodrich delivers tires for a full range of driving experiences from ultra-high performance street to off-road terrain with one common theme – extreme performance. Come upgrade your performance with BFGoodrich and see where our tires can take you at BFGoodrichTires.com, BFGoodrichRacing.com, as well as on Facebook and Instagram at @BFGoodrichTires and TikTok at @BFGoodrich.