ArvinMeritor claims victory in latest patent ruling

TROY, Mich. — Truck component maker ArvinMeritor and its ZF partner are applauding the latest ruling from the International Trade Commission, which clears the companies of a patent infringement suit brought on by rival Eaton Corp.

As Today’s Trucking reported in April of last year, ArvinMeritor redesigned its FreedomLine transmissions, manufactured by ZF Friedrichshafen in Germany, to comply with a prior ITC ruling prohibiting importation a prior version of the transmission into the U.S.

The ITC decision was the final ruling in the ongoing patent dispute between ArvinMeritor and Eaton Corp. Eaton claimed the ZF-FreedomLine gearbox infringed on various patents for its competing AutoShift and UltraShift automated transmissions.

ArvinMeritor argued that the ITC order is limited only to automated mechanical transmissions, which infringe upon one particular claim within one particular Eaton patent. “(That) pertains to a non-critical aspect of the transmission, which is not integral to its operation,” said Tom Gosnell, president of Commercial Vehicle Systems for ArvinMeritor, at the time. “In anticipation of this expected order… ZF redesigned the transmission software to comply with the ruling.”

Wolfgang Vogel, executive vice-president, says the latest ITS ruling verifies the re-design did not infringe on the patent.

The FreedomLine automated mechanical transmission entered North America in 2001.

“Our commitment to technology advancements like FreedomLine remain ever diligent, and we will continue to pursue a freedom of technology choice on our customers’ behalf,” added Tom Gosnell in a statement. “The transmission remains a strong viable powertrain option for our customers who desire a choice in gearboxes.”