Lund Asks for General Exclusion Order on Imported Automated Retractable Vehicle Steps
Comments are due to the International Trade Commission Nov. 14 concerning a potential Section 337 investigation on imported automated retractable vehicle steps and components, it said in a notice released Nov. 3 (Docket No. 3653). The notice follows an Oct. 28 complaint by Lund Motion Products alleging Chinese producer Anhui Aggeus Auto-Tech and U.S. importers Rough Country, Southern Truck, Meyer Distributing and Earl Owen Company manufacture and import products that infringe four of Lund's patents for the aftermarket vehicle steps.
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Lund has asked the ITC for a general exclusion order, which the company argues is necessary because of "a pattern of violation[s]" that make it difficult to identify the source of infringing products. The company says it has taken all commercially reasonable steps to protect its innovation but has continued to face "unlawful and unfair undercutting by foreign competitors," which is often difficult to trace. Anhui operates using numerous aliases, which makes it unclear if other Chinese companies are manufacturing and exporting similar infringing products, Lund said.