Aftermarket firms targeted by Ford.

Two local automotive aftermarket parts manufacturers and distributors are the targets of a patent infringement complaint filed recently by the Ford Motor Co.

Ford does not like the fact that some manufacturers make or sell cheaper replicas of one of its truck's hoods, fenders, bumpers and the like. The parts are used generally to replace accident-damaged parts.

Alleging 14 design patent infringements over aftermarket parts for its 2004 model year F-150 truck, Ford is seeking exclusion of the competitors parts and a permanent cease and desist order against Pomona-based Keystone Automotive Industries Inc. and Carson-based U.S. Auto Parts Network Inc.

Ford filed the complaint on Dec. 2 with the International Trade Commission, naming the two local companies as well as several manufacturers in Taiwan. The commission announced the complaint last week.

Ford representatives confirmed the complaint and said the company typically files at least a handful of similar complaints each year for a variety of patents.

"The bottom line is that Ford takes appropriate action anytime a copyright or trademark is violated, otherwise we are allowing a precedent to be set," said Ford spokeswoman Kathleen Vokes.

Keystone President and Chief Executive Officer Richard Keister said in a statement, "This legal initiative represents an ongoing campaign by original equipment manufacturers to deny consumers an alternative product for automotive collision repair."