Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Rubber News
  • European Rubber Journal
Subscribe
  • Login
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • Current Issue
  • News
    • OPINION
    • BUSINESS/FINANCIAL
    • COMMERCIAL TIRE
    • GOVERNMENT & LAW
    • Humanitarian Award
    • RETAIL TIRES
    • SERVICE ZONE
    • TIRE MAKERS
    • Best Places to Work
    • RUSSIA WAR IN UKRAINE
  • Aligning with ADAS
  • Data
    • DATA STORE
  • Custom
    • SPONSORED CONTENT
  • Events
    • ASK THE EXPERT
    • LIVESTREAMS
    • WEBINARS
    • SEMA LIVESTREAMS
  • Resources
    • DIRECTORY
    • CLASSIFIEDS
    • SHOP FLOOR
    • AWARDS
    • BALANCING
    • DEMOUNTING
    • SAFETY
    • TIRE REPAIR
    • TPMS
    • TRAINING
    • VEHICLE LIFTING
    • WHEEL TORQUE
    • Best Places to Work
  • ADVERTISE
  • DIGITAL EDITION
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
August 02, 2010 02:00 AM

Alpha Mining exec glad for suit's omega

Miles Moore
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print

    The best thing about his $26 million victory in federal court, according to Jordan Fishman, is that he can now devote full time to what he says he does best: designing unique, asymmetrical underground mining tires for clients worldwide.

    “When you're dealing with a company that has a billion dollars, such as Shandong LingLong, it's difficult,” said Mr. Fishman, CEO of Florida-based Tire Engineering and Distribution L.L.C., which also does business as Alpha Mining Systems and Alpha Tire Systems. “How do you split your time? But now we can run a business instead of a lawsuit.”

    A jury before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of District of Virginia ruled for Mr. Fishman and Alpha on all counts July 15 in their lawsuit against Chinese tire makers Shandong LingLong Rubber Co. Ltd. and Dubai-based tire distributor Al Dobowi Tyres Co. L.L.C. The jury found Shandong LingLong and Al Dobowi liable for conspiring to steal Mr. Fishman's proprietary mining tire designs.

    Both companies received Mr. Fishman's blueprints from former Alpha executive Sam Vance in 2005, according to the complaint. Shandong LingLong planned to manufacture the tires from the purloined designs, and Al Dobowi planned to distribute them, the lawsuit said.

    Representing Mr. Fishman was Gilbert L.L.P., a Washington, D.C., law firm with a long history of making foreign companies accountable in U.S. courts for patent and trademark infringement.

    “If it wasn't for the Gilbert firm and what they did, this trial would never have come about in the first place,” said a spokesman for the firm. “For them it was a cause.”

    Alpha's victory over Shandong LingLong and Al Dobowi was “a case of David beating Goliath,” the spokesman said.

    In a telephone conversation with Tire Business, Mr. Fishman said the behavior of Mr. Vance, Shandong LingLong and Al Dobowi was a total shock to him.

    “I grew up in a different era,” he said. “I started in the scrap rubber business, and you did business with people in an atmosphere based on trust. That's how I learned what to do and how to do it.

    “I trusted Sam Vance,” Mr. Fishman said. “I'd known him 20 years, and he was like family. Then one day I woke up and found he'd taken everything I'd worked on since I was a kid.”

    A Sarasota County, Fla., circuit court ordered Mr. Vance to pay Mr. Fishman more than $59 million in damages in May 2008. In April of this year, however, a state appeals court vacated that judgment.

    The Florida and Virginia cases have no bearing on each other, Mr. Fishman said. As for the Florida case, it was struck down strictly on procedural grounds and will be refiled soon, he said.

    Of all the things that shocked him about the case, Mr. Fishman said, the most shocking was the attitude of Shandong LingLong and Al Dobowi.

    “It was like, 'What is he going to do to us in Dubai?'” Mr. Fishman said. “And also, 'He's an old man, so he'll die soon!' Well, I guess I didn't die.

    “This case is not only about tires, but about doing business today and the difficulty firms have in doing business overseas,” Mr. Fishman said. “We were able to get them into the U.S. justice system, and perhaps this time the good guys won.”

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Tire Business would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor Don Detore at [email protected].

    Most Popular
    1
    Goodyear adds two sizes to Workhorse lineup
    2
    Bridgestone to raise prices on consumer tires July 1
    3
    R2R law not needed in Canada, say auto makers, dealers
    4
    Tatneft selling Russian tire business to holding company
    5
    Hankook opens largest tire testing facility in Asia
    SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Newsletter Center

    Staying current is easy with Tire Business delivered straight to your inbox.

    SUBSCRIBE TODAY

    Subscribe to Tire Business

    SUBSCRIBE
    Connect with Us
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • RSS

    Our Mission

    Tire Business is an award-winning publication dedicated to providing the latest news, data and insights into the tire and automotive service industries.

    Reader Services
    • Staff
    • About Us
    • Site Map
    • Industry Sites
    • Order Reprints
    • Customer Service: 877-320-1716
    Partner Sites
    • Rubber News
    • European Rubber Journal
    • Automotive News
    • Plastics News
    • Urethanes Technology
    RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    • Terms of Service
    • Media Guide
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Classified Rates
    • Digital Edition
    • Careers
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    Copyright © 1996-2022. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • OPINION
      • BUSINESS/FINANCIAL
      • COMMERCIAL TIRE
      • GOVERNMENT & LAW
      • Humanitarian Award
      • RETAIL TIRES
      • SERVICE ZONE
      • TIRE MAKERS
      • Best Places to Work
      • RUSSIA WAR IN UKRAINE
    • Aligning with ADAS
    • Data
      • DATA STORE
    • Custom
      • SPONSORED CONTENT
    • Events
      • ASK THE EXPERT
      • LIVESTREAMS
      • WEBINARS
      • SEMA LIVESTREAMS
    • Resources
      • DIRECTORY
      • CLASSIFIEDS
      • SHOP FLOOR
        • BALANCING
        • DEMOUNTING
        • SAFETY
        • TIRE REPAIR
        • TPMS
        • TRAINING
        • VEHICLE LIFTING
        • WHEEL TORQUE
      • AWARDS
        • Best Places to Work
    • ADVERTISE
    • DIGITAL EDITION