Hutchinson Industries v. Accuride Corp.
United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
2010 WL 1379720 (2010)
- Written by Jenny Perry, JD
Facts
Hutchinson Industries, Inc. (Hutchinson) (plaintiff) owned a patent on an automotive wheel with an internal-valve system designed to operate in conjunction with a central-tire-inflation system (CTIS). The CTIS system allowed the driver to adjust the pressure in each tire while driving in order to accommodate changes in the terrain. Accuride Corporation (Accuride) (defendant) manufactured an automotive wheel with an internal-valve system that was also designed to be used with a CTIS. Accuride supplied its wheels to three companies that used them in military vehicles being developed for the purpose of bidding on a government contract. The government’s solicitation required bidders to provide prototype vehicles to be eligible for the contract award. The solicitation also included CTIS as a preferred specification for the prototype vehicles. Hutchinson learned about Accuride’s wheel when the prototypes were delivered to the government and alleged that Accuride’s wheel and internal-valve system infringed Hutchinson’s patent. Hutchinson filed suit, and Accuride moved for summary judgment, arguing that under 28 U.S.C. § 1498(a), Hutchinson’s sole recourse was against the government.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Wolfson, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,500 briefs, keyed to 994 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.