News - 2020

Tokyo (January 8, 2020) -- Bridgestone Corporation (Bridgestone) today announced that it received a favorable ruling in its design right infringement lawsuit against Chinese tire manufacturers Shandong Huasheng Rubber Co., Ltd. (Huasheng) and Shandong Hongsheng Rubber Co., Ltd. (Hongsheng), in the Shanghai Intellectual Property Court.

In January 2017, Bridgestone filed the lawsuit claiming that tire manufacturing and sales activities conducted by Huasheng and Hongsheng utilized the tread pattern^*1 of the Bridgestone BLIZZAK™ DM-V1 tire for 4×4 sport utility vehicles, and that these activities were therefore in violation of the company's design rights. In October 2019, the Shanghai Intellectual Property Court ruled in favor of Bridgestone. Huasheng and Hongsheng were ordered to pay damages to the company in an amount of roughly 900,000 Chinese yuan (approximately 13.5 million Japanese yen)^*2.

Bridgestone takes seriously any unauthorized use or infringement of its patents, design rights, trademarks, or any other intellectual property. With this level of vigilance, Bridgestone is prioritizing the safety and reliability associated with its products and maintaining and enhancing its hard-earned brand value.

1. Tread pattern refers to the design molded into the section of the tire that comes into direct contact with the road's surface.
2. Converted at a rate of 15 Japanese yen to one Chinese yuan