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Have they said anything yet? It's an object lesson in how not to settle a trademark dispute, but I wasn't aware that they had fucked up their handling of the backlash yet.
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They are fucking dicks
According to one source who requested anonymity due to his position in the cycling industry, Specialized recently threatened to take bike brand NeilPryde to court over its Alize model, which Specialized claimed was too close to its Allez model.
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Specialized paid Fuji a licensing fee to use Roubaix in the USA, where Fuji hold the trademark registration.
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Specialized could do worse than refer back to this for lessons in good PR
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Rob, it helps if you put him on ignore...
Who?
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I think Dan may have won the battle…………Have a read of this that just broke
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Have they said anything yet? It's an object lesson in how not to settle a trademark dispute, but I wasn't aware that they had fucked up their handling of the backlash yet.
Handling a social media backlash is all in the hours. This kicked off days ago, no response or comment by now is a serious failure. A holding statement or even a restatement of their claim would be far better than the current run of radio silence.
It's clear that Specialized pretty much have an obligation to do something about the trademark issue. Failure to protect a trademark in one instance will significantly weaken a claim in another, regardless of the merit of either. Pretty much anything involving cycling and the word Roubaix in an area where can pursue a trademark claim needs to be pursued, regardless of whether or not there is likely to be any realistic damage to trade. Such is the dickbag nature of the world of litigation.
That's an aside to the social media side of things. Failure to say anything at all sends a message that Specialized don't care what their customers think about something that is getting played out very publicly. That's going to damage their customer base and from there damage their ability to secure the kind of sponsorship deals that are very important in this kind of business.
Edit note; clearly I missed the article linked to by Thesilversurfer which adds a new dimension to the whole situation and Specialized claim now appears to be rather less solid. However, not all cut and dried as although ASI describe the trademark registration as inappropriate, it doesn't mean that it definitely isn't valid. The registration and the Canadian claim may still stand, subject to further legal considerations. Still asshats through.
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I think Dan may have won the battle…………Have a read of this that just broke
Great news, but now Specialized have been beaten to it by the bigger company. It'll be very hard for them to recover from this without it looking like a forced apology. They fucked up.
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I reckon he should rebrand his bikes Roub-eh in honour of his canadian heritage and just move on.
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I reckon he should rebrand his bikes Roub-eh in honour of his canadian heritage and just move on.
Cochrane is one of the parts of Canada that doesn't say "eh".
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Cochrehne is one of the parts of Canada that doesn't say "eh".
Are you sure?
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Sure enough to make that assertion on an interweb forum about bikes.
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Eh?
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From the article:
The trademark owner says Specialized's enforcement of the trademark was out of line
BOULDER, CO (BRAIN) — Specialized Bicycle overstepped its bounds when it registered the Roubaix trademark in Canada and then tried to prevent a Calgary retailer from using the name, Advanced Sports International’s CEO told BRAIN on Monday.
ASI says it owns the worldwide rights to the Roubaix trademark — it’s had a Fuji Roubaix road bike model in its lineup since 1992 — and has licensed it to Specialized since 2003. ASI’s Pat Cunnane said the company has no problem with retailer Dan Richter using the name on his store, Cafe Roubaix.In a phone call, Cunnane noted that ASI has been able to reach amicable agreements with several other brands over trademarks. For example, ASI owns the U.S. rights to the name Gran Fondo for use on bicycles, while BMC owns the rights in Europe. The two brands have a co-existance agreement to share the name in both markets.
Besides Fuji, ASI owns the Breezer, Kestrel and SE Bikes brands.
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Specialized OWNS Roubaix
Posted by
@finger_jockey
I think Specialized have now reached the point where they can be the subject of seminars on how not to handle a social media backlash.