TROY, Mich. — ArvinMeritor, ZF Friedrichshafen AG and ZF Meritor reported this week to have won the patent infringement suit brought by Eaton Corp. First filed in December 2003, the suit, which dealt with technology patents related to the ZF FreedomLine, was heard before a jury in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

The jury found that both technology patents at issue in the trial were invalid and therefore not enforceable against ArvinMeritor, Inc, ZF Friedrichshafen AG or ZF Meritor LLC on both current and future products.

"This is a significant milestone for ArvinMeritor and ZF’s FreedomLine transmission product line and its superior technology, particularly since we’ve been confident the product didn’t infringe from the beginning. We’ve remained focused on the quality and performance of the FreedomLine transmission during this entire time and are very pleased our position has been vindicated," said Carsten Reinhardt, president of ArvinMeritor’s Commercial Vehicle Systems business.