cct7kitcars
|
 posted on 8/12/06 at 02:58 PM |
|
|
sorry caterham
just imforming people that we are having to change our company name from CCT7 sports cars to CCT sports cars due to a letter from caterham legal team
cant do any thing theses days can you
joe
cct7kitcars opps cctkitcars
Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in
sideways, Chardonnay in one hand, Tequila in the other, body bearing battle scars and totally worn out, screaming- WOO HOO!! What a Ride!
|
|
|
|
|
Coose
|
| posted on 8/12/06 at 03:01 PM |
|
|
<sigggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh> 
Spin 'er off Well...
|
|
|
jos
|
| posted on 8/12/06 at 03:04 PM |
|
|
are they asking for a charitable donation for the priveledge also??
.: Motorsport / motor racing circuit / track wall art Apex Traxs :.
|
|
|
Alan B
|
| posted on 8/12/06 at 03:15 PM |
|
|
So you are saying they have copyright on the number "7" ?
Sound like nutsack to me......maybe just scare tactics...
|
|
|
Howlor
|
| posted on 8/12/06 at 03:15 PM |
|
|
What are they actually saying? As I would have thought it was very easy to argue this.
|
|
|
BenB
|
| posted on 8/12/06 at 03:48 PM |
|
|
This has happened before on the Se7ens list when someone was using the 7 as part of his garage name.... Caterham told him in no uncertain ways to
stop...
Caterham and BMW claim joint ownership of the name 7 / Seven when it comes to cars.
The evidence for this is extremely poor. However, both Caterham and BMW can afford to throw lawyers (and therefore money) at anyone who wishes to
argue the point. Very few individuals would be able to pay for the legal fees incurred, so even though legally they're on a sticky wicket it
doesn't actually matter....
Sucks but it's true...
[Edited on 8/12/06 by BenB]
|
|
|
ab54666
|
| posted on 8/12/06 at 03:58 PM |
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by cct7kitcars
just imforming people that we are having to change our company name from CCT7 sports cars to CCT sports cars due to a letter from caterham legal team
cant do any thing theses days can you
joe
cct7kitcars opps cctkitcars
I'd be interested in seeing that letter, have some experience of company names and "the big Boys" throwing their toys out of their
pram!
|
|
|
dannyboy
|
| posted on 8/12/06 at 04:07 PM |
|
|
Stupid arses up there on the hill! Personally I can't see the harm..Jeez!As for copyright etc..my caterham resembles the original Lotus no more
closely than any locost so I can't see the point of all this.....The CCT7 doesn't look particularly like the caterham..so how are you
infrigning...Jeez..they'll be after Coca Cola next to rename 7up!!!
I've heard the story ref a certain garage..again very heavy handed!!
|
|
|
Alan B
|
| posted on 8/12/06 at 04:09 PM |
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by BenB
........The evidence for this is extremely poor. However, both Caterham and BMW can afford to throw lawyers (and therefore money) at anyone who wishes
to argue the point........
Now that sounds more like it.......sadly..
|
|
|
iank
|
| posted on 8/12/06 at 04:12 PM |
|
|
From the frontpage of the caterham website
"SEVEN and 7 are registered trade marks of Caterham Car Sales & Coachworks Limited."
So I believe the only real tack (not being a lawyer) is to get the trademarks voided. This is possible, if I remember my IP course you
'can't' trademark dictionary words/numbers. Certainly in the US intel got slapped when it tried to sue based on 386/486. Which is
why they stuck an i on the front of those and changed to Pentium for what would have been the 586.
Unfortunately voiding a trademark requires lots of legal work and going up against some very focused lawyers from BMW and Caterham. So you could do
it, but it would cost 10's to 100's of thousands, for what at the end of the day is minimal payoff.
|
|
|
BenB
|
| posted on 8/12/06 at 04:13 PM |
|
|
What was really galling in the Se7ens situation was that the bloke being threatened did loads of work on the Tour7 list- those tours gave quite a few
people a reason to own a Caterham (or at least buy a new one to keep up with the convoy!!)... To punish him for having a garage with the number 7 in
the name seemed ridiculous...
We sorted the situation out in that we all wrote to Mr Nearn saying how narrow-minded he was being in persecuting like this. It ended up with the
blokes garage being given official Caterham approval (ie he became an official dealer)... End of problem!! Not so applicable in this situation
though...
The Caterham lawyers are scarily rabid though... On the Se7ens list there's even a filter in place (at request of the lawyers) so that any time
"Caterham" is typed it gets turned into Badgerum....
|
|
|
balidey
|
| posted on 8/12/06 at 04:16 PM |
|
|
In true Spinal Tap style, could you call your car an 8?
|
|
|
iank
|
| posted on 8/12/06 at 04:21 PM |
|
|
calling it a 8 would be confusing.
Lotus 8 was not much of a looker IMO
http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/pic.php?imagenum=2&carnum=1496
|
|
|
MikeR
|
| posted on 8/12/06 at 04:22 PM |
|
|
bear in mind that i believe this garage was acting as an unofficial agent on caterhams behalf - they had no agents within hundreds of miles. They
organised test drives for prospective customers, co-ordinated local owners, where a respected and liked member of seven's lists and due to their
love of the brand opened a garage to serviced the cars.
But ........ i guess doing all this for nothing (ok, the owners had to pay the going rate to get the car serviced) wasn't enough.
ho hum.
(oh, aledgedly - got to keep the lawyers happy)
|
|
|
jacko
|
| posted on 8/12/06 at 04:29 PM |
|
|
How about CCT6+1 KIT CARS
|
|
|
cct7kitcars
|
| posted on 8/12/06 at 04:33 PM |
|
|
how about cct7.1
Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in
sideways, Chardonnay in one hand, Tequila in the other, body bearing battle scars and totally worn out, screaming- WOO HOO!! What a Ride!
|
|
|
BenB
|
| posted on 8/12/06 at 04:36 PM |
|
|
http://oami.europa.eu/LegalDocs/BoA/1999/en/R0063_1999-3.pdf
makes interesting reading.....
Caterham basically being told that the Figure 7 can't be Trademarked. Might be worth asking the Caterham lawyers for their comments 
If it had fancy features (ie if a special font) or being in the triangle that would be different.
They felt that you couldn't trademark 7 as its a number.
After all, if I make the Ben Mark 1 what do I call the car after Ben Mark 6?
Caterham's appeal in that case was based partially upon the fact that BMW had trademarked "Series 7" and Audi had trademarked
"A7" and "S7"...
Still, it doesn't really matter. It boils down to who's got the biggest lawyers...
|
|
|
mandbsheldon
|
| posted on 8/12/06 at 04:57 PM |
|
|
I was born on the 7th. Does that mean no more birthdays
At least I'll stay 40 for a long while
Leigh
|
|
|
ned
|
| posted on 8/12/06 at 05:00 PM |
|
|
audi may have trademarked a7 and s7 bt they've only actually built the q7, am I right?
beware, I've got yellow skin
|
|
|
MikeRJ
|
| posted on 8/12/06 at 05:29 PM |
|
|
What a bunch of arses. BMW did something very simmilar when they bought the Mini brand, lots of businesses that specialised in the (classic) mini had
threatening letters.
|
|
|
andyps
|
| posted on 8/12/06 at 05:47 PM |
|
|
So I guess non of you who have said Caterham are wrong would think I was wrong if I started making a car which looked a bit like a Lotus 7 and called
it an Indy or a Vortx or a Panther or a Velocity? Caterham paid money to own the design and name of the 7 - if someone else is using the same name, or
part of it, on a similar product surely they should be able to complain about it. I seem to remember hearing that Caterham have the rights to 7 when
applied to a sports car or similar.
[Edited on 8/12/06 by andyps]
Andy
An expert is someone who knows more and more about less and less
|
|
|
russbost
|
| posted on 8/12/06 at 05:52 PM |
|
|
I think you should rename to
Lutos 6.9999999999999 recurring.
I happen to own www.lotusseven.co.uk would they like to sue me too??
I no longer run Furore Products or Furore Cars Ltd, but would still highly recommend them for Acewell dashes, projector headlights, dominator
headlights, indicators, mirrors etc, best prices in the UK! Take a look at http://www.furoreproducts.co.uk/ or find more parts on Ebay, user names
furoreltd & furoreproducts, discounts available for LCB users.
Don't forget Stainless Steel Braided brake hoses, made to your exact requirements in any of around 16 colours.
http://shop.ebay.co.uk/furoreproducts/m.html?_dmd=1&_ipg=50&_sop=12&_rdc=1
|
NOTE:This user is registered as a LocostBuilders trader and may offer commercial services to other users
|
rayward
|
| posted on 8/12/06 at 05:57 PM |
|
|
change your name to caterhum instead, see if they prefer that!
Ray
|
|
|
iank
|
| posted on 8/12/06 at 06:07 PM |
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by rayward
change your name to caterhum instead, see if they prefer that!
Ray
and see how much they claim in "lost business" from your "passing off" with their sharp pointy lawyers.
Must say I agree to a certain extent with andyps, despite numerical trademarks being technically not protectable I can't see why anyone would
name their company/car after the 7.
|
|
|
BenB
|
| posted on 8/12/06 at 06:31 PM |
|
|
Surely the term "Seven" has become fairly generic. After all, the magazines use it all the time to describe a Sevenesque car but you
don't see Caterham suing them on them!!
Anyway, just how original was the Lotus 7 in the first place? Two seats, Rear wheel drive, wheel arches etc- that descibes a lot of 50s cars!! The
Lotus 7 was pretty similar to a few cars of the time, certainly as similar as some of the Sevenseque cars are to a Caterham...
|
|
|
