Michelin North America has filed suit against Atturo Tire and Svizz-One alleging infringement of its patented pattern for its Latitude tire.
Michelin filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina in Greenville, S.C.
The suit alleges that two tire models -- the Atturo AZ600 and the Thunderer Ranger 007 -- infringe the company's Patent U.S. D483,322 for a tread.
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 research and development vice president Paul Grosskopf said: "This lawsuit demonstrates Michelin's legal strategy to protect the intellectual property created by its 6,000 research and development employees and an annual R&D investment of about $700 million dollars.
