Orange County-based Toyo Tire Holdings of Americas Inc. and its affiliates today announced the filing of a formal unfair trade practices complaint before the United States International Trade Commission against 22 manufacturers, importers and sellers of passenger and light truck tires.
The complaint alleges the respondents “have engaged in unfair trade practices by importing into and/or selling within the United States, tires that infringe eight U.S. design patents held by Toyo,” according to a company statement.
Cypress-based Toyo, which markets and sells tires under the Toyo Tires and Nitto brands, “is taking this step to protect the company, its customers and associates from unfair competition by enforcing its intellectual property rights,” the statement says.
Toyo Tire Holdings of Americas is the wholly-owned North American subsidiary of Toyo Tire Rubber Co. Ltd. of Osaka, Japan.
