Lund Motion Products Inc., a subsidiary of Lund International, a supplier of automotive aftermarket accessories, filed separate lawsuits in November of last year against T-Max (Hangzhou) Technology Co. Ltd. and various affiliates of Rocky Ridge Inc. The suits alleged infringement of three patents relating to Lund’s POWERSTEP electric-powered articulating running board, as well as alleging copyright infringement.

Lund announced it has settled its lawsuit with the Rocky Ridge family of defendants. This follows Lund’s previous settlement with Rev Wheel LLC for selling T-Max retractable running boards. In the recent settlement, the Rocky Ridge defendants agreed not to sell the infringing T-Max running boards in the future and acknowledged the validity and enforceability of the asserted Lund POWERSTEP articulating running board patents. Rocky Ridge also agreed to cooperate in Lund’s continuing efforts to enforce its intellectual property rights pertaining to Lund’s articulating running board technology.

The Lund POWERSTEP automatic, electric-powered running board instantly extends when the vehicle door is opened, and then retracts when the door closes providing improved ground clearance and aerodynamics while retaining the vehicle’s OE appearance, according to Lund. The company says its elegant design, all-weather performance and legendary reliability set the industry standard.

In the ongoing lawsuit against T-Max, Lund is asking the United States federal courts to enjoin the sale of the infringing T-Max electric-powered running board and award money damages due to Lund’s lost sales and attorneys fees.

Mitch Fogle, Lund’s CEO, said, “Lund respects the intellectual property rights of others and expects the same in the marketplace. Lund will continue to fiercely protect its rights against all infringers that seek to profit on Lund’s patents, trademarks and copyrights.”