Yamaha suing Patriot Motorcycles over Yamoto

Yamoto There’s an interesting lawsuit going on between Yamaha Motor Corporation and Patriot Motorcycles Corporation over the offroad motorcycles and ATVs sold by Patriot under the Yamoto brand name. Yamoto is a Chinese company making what is alleged to be a knockoff of Yamaha motorcycles, using both a similar name, design and color scheme that Yamaha says is intended to confuse the U.S. consumer. “Yamaha claims that the distribution of these products is an obvious and deliberate attempt to trade off of Yamaha’s reputation and goodwill in the industry.”

Yamaha According to the reports over on Roadracing World, when they spoke to an attorney for Patriot, he said they were caught totally by surprise when notified of the lawsuit and they are working with Yamaha to come to some sort of agreement.

Well, they may have been caught by surprise at the moment the lawsuit arrived on their doorstep but you have to believe they’ve at least entertained the possibility Yamaha would be slightly peeved. If you look at the photos, you’ll notice obvious similarities in appearance and you have to admit the names, Yamaha – Yamoto, certainly have a family resemblance. Even the website is similar, check the name, logo and layout on the Yamoto site and the Yamaha site. Notice a certain similarity? Unless someone is deliberately trying to confuse the issue, don’t you think it would be easy to come up with a dissimilar name and logo? Maybe try to make your product look a little more unique?

This sounds a lot like the Chery – Chevy argument going on between Chevrolet and Malcolm Bricklin. It will be interesting to see how this turns out.

Source and photos: Roadracing World and Motorcycle Technology and follow up here

Doug Johns says

December 2, 2007 at 9:01 am

I am not a fan at all of any compay that knocks off somebody elses hard work, and have the product made in a slave country like China. Sure, the retail price is cheaper (sometimes), but the stuff is junk, cheapens the industries they are in, stifles innovation (for fear of being knocked off before making a “break even point” for profit) for the real innovators like Yamaha. The lazy mentality of making a quick buck by knocking off somebody else that did the homework, and use China (who the world is making a very powerfull—scary country) is a factor reason for the USA, and may be other established citizens of other countries of the world, is facing threat of a recession.

I make my living by modifying small engines, and making parts for a recreation industry (and my self paid, 3, manufacturing degrees are now worthless). I now do not spend much time developing a part for my recreation, because I know if I come to market with it, and if it sells well—some scavenger like Patriot Motorcycles IMO, will knock it off in a heart beat—and there is abosolutly nothing I can do about it–even with a patent. I feel, if somebody comes out with a new part–nobody else can touch it for 3 years. That keeps innovative companies in business, and helps future product growth and quality—while helping keep us out a recession/depression. A Patent does me absolutly no good, and they are very expensive to have a lawyer do for you (which is recommended). I hate these scavenger companies—a lot. They really don’t provide the consumer with anything good. The products are junk–the work is leaving the county (check out the home forclousure rate lately?), we are making less money, Democrats are now threatening us with expensive national health care (which will increase poverty a great deal IMO).—blah blah—-all for one guy, living off the shirt tails of innovative companies—so he can get wealth, while screwing the rest of the country/world.

Great.

NAFTA and other irresponsible (to possibly a charge of treason) trade policies were written and signed by rich elected officials—who really don’t give a crap about the people who reside in America and are productive workers. We broke our own backbone. I see a recession coming—but I am secretly hoping (shhhhhhh) for a full blown depression—–because we are a very unwise people and need a quick learning curve. If anybody disagrees—I want to know how you make your money. Then you can speak and we will know your justification/motavations. There is a difference between being self serving, and being self serving at a populations (espically our own population) expense.

Thank you for reading

Doug
Grand Rapids, MI.

Comments

Doug Johns says

December 2, 2007 at 9:01 am

I am not a fan at all of any compay that knocks off somebody elses hard work, and have the product made in a slave country like China. Sure, the retail price is cheaper (sometimes), but the stuff is junk, cheapens the industries they are in, stifles innovation (for fear of being knocked off before making a “break even point” for profit) for the real innovators like Yamaha. The lazy mentality of making a quick buck by knocking off somebody else that did the homework, and use China (who the world is making a very powerfull—scary country) is a factor reason for the USA, and may be other established citizens of other countries of the world, is facing threat of a recession.

I make my living by modifying small engines, and making parts for a recreation industry (and my self paid, 3, manufacturing degrees are now worthless). I now do not spend much time developing a part for my recreation, because I know if I come to market with it, and if it sells well—some scavenger like Patriot Motorcycles IMO, will knock it off in a heart beat—and there is abosolutly nothing I can do about it–even with a patent. I feel, if somebody comes out with a new part–nobody else can touch it for 3 years. That keeps innovative companies in business, and helps future product growth and quality—while helping keep us out a recession/depression. A Patent does me absolutly no good, and they are very expensive to have a lawyer do for you (which is recommended). I hate these scavenger companies—a lot. They really don’t provide the consumer with anything good. The products are junk–the work is leaving the county (check out the home forclousure rate lately?), we are making less money, Democrats are now threatening us with expensive national health care (which will increase poverty a great deal IMO).—blah blah—-all for one guy, living off the shirt tails of innovative companies—so he can get wealth, while screwing the rest of the country/world.

Great.

NAFTA and other irresponsible (to possibly a charge of treason) trade policies were written and signed by rich elected officials—who really don’t give a crap about the people who reside in America and are productive workers. We broke our own backbone. I see a recession coming—but I am secretly hoping (shhhhhhh) for a full blown depression—–because we are a very unwise people and need a quick learning curve. If anybody disagrees—I want to know how you make your money. Then you can speak and we will know your justification/motavations. There is a difference between being self serving, and being self serving at a populations (espically our own population) expense.

Thank you for reading

Doug
Grand Rapids, MI.
Kevin says

January 18, 2008 at 1:41 am

I would do the same thing if I was Yamaha. Especially for the name similarity and their style of model and identity. But I do wonder about the poor souls needing future parts for their Yamoto bikes and atv’s. Is there anywhere they can turn?

Kevin