Yokohama settles patent lawsuit with Chinese company

Yokohama Rubber Co. and its parent company Yokohama Tire Corp. have reached an agreement with Hanzhou Zhongce Rubber Co. on a design patent infringement lawsuit. Under the terms of the agreement, Hangzhou will destroy the manufacturing molds and remaining inventory of its Westlake H280 tires for light trucks, Yokohama said.

The suit was brought by Yokohama in September 2006, alleging a violation of the company’s tire tread design patent by Hangzhou, a Chinese manufacturer.

Under the terms of the settlement, Hangzhou will destroy all manufacturing molds, provide an affidavit confirming the destruction and a photo of the destroyed molds. Hangzhou will also pay Yokohama a cash settlement, the company said.

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