ITW Unit Faces Antitrust Suit Alleging Tire Sealant Patent Fraud

An Illinois Tool Works Inc. unit was hit with federal antitrust claims in Chicago over its alleged scheme to monopolize tire sealant markets through a bogus patent it got by misleading regulators about the novelty and ingenuity of using glycerin as antifreeze.

The lawsuit, docketed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Chicago, targets ITW Global Tire Repair Inc., which was known as Accessories Marking Inc. before its acquisition by ITW. The suit was filed by Trydel Research Pty. Ltd., a competing sealant maker based in Australia.

ITW Global didn’t immediately respond to a request for ...