Dana suing S&S Truck Parts for patent, trademark infringement

Nov 26, 2003 12:00 PM

Dana Corporation announced that it and one of its subsidiaries, Torque-Traction Technology, Inc., have recently filed a lawsuit against an Illinois-based vehicle parts distributor for infringing a patent and several trademarks as well as engaging in unfair competition practices.

The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago, alleges that S&S Truck Parts, Inc., of Schaumburg, Ill., has unlawfully labeled its materials with several Dana trademarks, and is infringing at least one of Dana’s universal-joint patents. Dana is seeking an order requiring the company to cease its deceptive actions, as well as unspecified damages.

Nick Cole, president of Dana’s Heavy Vehicle Technologies and Systems Group, said, “Dana views the infringement and misrepresentation of our products as a very serious matter. We invested tremendous amount of time, effort, and expense to provide our customers with the best possible products. It’s unfortunate when individuals attempt to deceive these same customers. They need to be protected, as do companies such as Dana, which is widely recognized for its technological accomplishments with a strong brand name.”