Goodyear Sues Rival Tire Maker Over Ads

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., the largest U.S. tire maker, filed a federal lawsuit against its largest competitor, Bridgestone Corp.’s Bridgestone-Firestone Inc. unit, charging false advertising and unfair and deceptive trade practices. The lawsuit alleges Bridgestone-Firestone’s 2-month-old national promotional campaign for its new FT70c tire uses false and misleading statements regarding its stopping performance against the Goodyear Aquatred II. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Ohio, asks the court to stop Bridgestone-Firestone from falsely representing its tire and asks the court to require Bridgestone-Firestone to undertake corrective advertising. Akron, Ohio-based Goodyear is also asking that Nashville-based Bridgestone-Firestone pay damages for any profit or lost sales. Goodyear stock closed up 50 cents at $58.625 on the New York Stock Exchange.