Michelin Takes Action Against Counterfeit Tires

Sales representatives from Michelin's Truck Tire Division have detected Asian replicas of Michelin tires in the European market.

The counterfeiting primarily concerns the tread pattern of Michelin truck tires. It represents misuse of Michelin's expertise and is designed to trick customers into believing that the fake tires deliver the same performance as the real product. But the imitation products don't offer the same guarantees as the Michelin tires, notably in terms of traction and durability, and therefore could jeopardize the safety of their owners, as well as that of road users in general.

At Michelin, safety has always been a number one priority, which is why we have prepared the following plan:

• More than 5,000 European distributors have been notified of the risks of selling counterfeit goods.
• Legal action will be taken against anyone who commits a violation. Proceedings were recently brought against a European distributor who sold truck tires from Asia copying the Michelin tread pattern.
• European Union authorities were informed of the risks posed by these counterfeit tires.

Michelin condemns these acts of piracy and will join government and EU authorities in deploying all necessary measures to protect its technology and to ensure the safety of road users.

http://www.michelin.com

15th December 2005