TROY, Mich., (Dec. 15,
2003) — ArvinMeritor Inc., ZF
Friedrichshafen AG and ZF Meritor LLC today announced that they are committed to
a vigorous defense against the legal actions launched recently by Eaton
Corporation against the three companies in connection with the ZF Meritor
FreedomLine automated manual heavy truck transmission.
“Eaton has a very significant share of the North
American heavy truck transmissions market and their actions are the latest in a
series of disruptive actions that appear to be designed to block truck
operators’ access to the field-proven innovative FreedomLine,” said Tom Gosnell,
President of Commercial Vehicle Systems, ArvinMeritor.
“ZF Friedrichshafen AG stands by its technology and
we are confident that we will prevail against Eaton in their latest attempt to
eliminate a viable competitor from the North American heavy truck transmission
market,” stated Wolfgang Vogel, Executive Vice President, Commercial Vehicle and
Special Driveline Technology, ZF Friedrichshafen AG.
The FreedomLine™ transmission is the most advanced,
automated manual transmission in North America, featuring the first “no clutch
pedal” design making it easier to learn and operate than competing “three-pedal”
automated systems. FreedomLine™ provides significant fuel economy and
driver comfort benefits, and its innovative design is protected by numerous
patents worldwide.
This is the latest in a series of patent-related
legal actions that Eaton has thus far unsuccessfully taken against ArvinMeritor
and related companies in its drive to secure total dominance of the North
American heavy transmission market:
- In 1997, Eaton sued Rockwell International,
ArvinMeritor’s predecessor, for patent infringement by the ground-breaking
Engine Synchro Shift (ESS) transmission that was offered prior to the
FreedomLine™. ArvinMeritor decisively won that case, the Court of
Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington ruling in favor of ArvinMeritor
by a 3-0 vote.
- Subsequently Eaton filed an “interference” in the
Patent and Trademark Office – an action designed to wrest ownership of other
patents from ZF Meritor, which indicates that Eaton is “very concerned about
the threat of these patents to their automated transmission products”,
according to ZF Meritor President Rick Martello.
- Now Eaton has filed complaints with the U.S.
International Trade Commission and the United States District Court in
Detroit, Mich., alleging infringement of several Eaton patents by the
FreedomLine™ transmission. Initial review of the patents asserted by
Eaton indicates that it has filed yet another misdirected lawsuit destined to
fail.
In a message to heavy truck buyers, Gosnell said:
“I want to make it clear how committed we are to this transmission and how
certain we are that our position will prevail. We’re here to stay in the
transmission business as a technology leader for our customers.
“The public deserves choice, particularly when it
is as superior as it is in FreedomLine™’s case,” Gosnell emphasized. “With
this in mind, ArvinMeritor and ZF intend to restructure our
relationship.”
ZF Friedrichshafen AG is a leading worldwide
supplier of driveline and chassis technology. Headquartered in
Friedrichshafen, Germany, ZF is among the 15 largest automotive suppliers in the
world. The company has a total workforce of 53,300 at 119 loc-ations in 25
countries, and combined revenues for the group totaled more than $10 billion in
2002.
ArvinMeritor, Inc. is a premier $8-billion global
supplier of a broad range of integrated systems, modules and components to the
motor vehicle industry. The company serves light vehicle, commercial
truck, trailer and specialty original equipment manufacturers and related
aftermarkets. Headquartered in Troy, Mich., the company employs
approximately 32,000 people at more than 150 manufacturing facilities in 27
countries. ArvinMeritor common stock is traded on the New York Stock
Exchange under the ticker symbol ARM. For more information, visit the
company's Web site at: http://www.arvinmeritor.com/.
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