Specialized Roval rim

NoTubes race 7000 rim

Specialized Roval front

NoTubes race rim front

It’s been brewing for a while but now it’s official, NoTubes have filed a lawsuit against Specialized alleging that their Roval wheels infringe NoTubes’ patent on their rims.

This might not come as a surprise to anyone who’s looked carefully at both Stan’s and Roval wheels, in fact we’ve had customers comment on the similarities. The news will be welcome to many in the US biking world where Specialized have, shall we say, a bit of a reputation for being trigger-happy with their lawyers.

We don’t normally put up press releases but here’s one from NoTubes:

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NoTubes.com Files Lawsuit

against Specialized Bicycle Components Inc.

BIG FLATS, N.Y. – Nov 12, 2008 – On September 15, 2008, NoTubes.com® filed a lawsuit against Specialized Bicycle Components Inc. (”Specialized”) alleging that certain rims and wheels of Specialized infringe U.S. Patent No. 7,334,846 (the “˜846 patent”). This lawsuit, styled K.G. Motors, Inc. v. Specialized Bicycle Components, Inc., is currently pending in the United States District Court for the Western District of New York.

As set forth in NoTubes™s complaint, Specialized is alleged to infringe the ˜846 patent by making, using, selling, offering for sale, and/or importing into the United States certain tubeless wheels and rims, including without limitation Specialized™s Roval brand wheels. The technology disclosed and claimed in the ˜846 patent was invented by NoTubes™s founder and owner, Stan Koziatek, while pursuing a better solution for tubeless bicycle wheels and rims.

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