Ohio Court Denies Dismissal in Timken Trade Dress Case

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio denied RevHD LLC’s motion to dismiss claims by Timken Company alleging trade dress infringement, false designation of origin, and unfair competition.

The court held that RevHD’s arguments regarding laches and statute of limitations were not supported at the motion-to-dismiss stage. It also found that Timken had plausibly alleged that the asserted trade dress is non-functional.

The ruling allows Timken’s claims to proceed in the litigation over product design features.

Timken, a manufacturer of bearings and related products, initiated the action asserting protection for specific design elements of its goods.