Bikinvention alleges that Tucker, who created Squirt LLC upon being appointed as Squirts exclusive distributor in August 2013, has been marketing a product called Enduro in direct competition with Squirt, as well as selling fake Squirt throughout the U.S. and Canada.

After learning that Tucker had been promoting his own product — a not-yet-produced wax-based bicycle lubricant named Enduro — Bikinvention terminated Tuckers distributorship. Since then, Bikinvention claims that Tucker has been selling an inferior version of Squirt using its trademarked logos and designs. The counterfeit bottles have a white cap instead of a blue cap, but are otherwise nearly identical.

Bike shops and resellers that testified in the case referred to the counterfeit product as sticky instead of smooth, and also yellower in color. Bikinvention says the product appears thinner, which indicates a lower viscosity, and warns that it could be harmful to aluminum components of bicycles.

Following a temporary restraining order which ended May 14, the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado has proposed a preliminary injunction that calls for Tucker to cease all production and sales of Squirt imitations and to discontinue any marketing related to the Squirt. Tucker was ordered to terminate the website he created to distribute Squirt, www.squirtlubeus.com.

The court introduced the injunction as a proposed settlement between the two parties and has cancelled a May 20 hearing. Bikinvention is proceeding with a claim for damages, spoksperson Dewet Marais told Lube Report.