[Northern Rider]

Subaru Forum told to cease and desist by Subaru

Saw this item on another forum today. This, sadly, is true. Please take time to have a look:


http://www.iwsti.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27448&page=1&pp=20

 

[slk320]

This has happened to others as well... I used to run a small website called www.benzsport.com and received a seize and desist letter from Mercedes Benz legal department.

 

[frank29]

Well that doesn't bode well for the future. I guess Ekool could change the name to something like "gangster sedan forum".....but, maybe not, afterall, that would conflict with the demand of, I quote, "You must cease use of the domain name...........and/or colorable imitation(s) thereof;"

Oh well, it's been nice while it lasted.

 

[jjs]

Subaru Forum told to cease and desist by Subaru

Saw this item on another forum today. This, sadly, is true. Please take time to have a look:


http://www.iwsti.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27448&page=1&pp=20

I was wondering how long forums could 'get away' with this stuff. While I don't agree with it in its entirety, they DO have a point and law on their side. I would imagine the car makers' lawyers would be even more happy to come down hard if a particular forum regularly bashed the company in question.

:wall:

 

[Ride Slow]

Pretty ugly stuff, makes Subaru look bad. But, they are not alone. Harley Davidson sets the standard for aggressive trademark protection. I liked the post where the guy was going to bill Subaru for displaying their logo on the car he owns.

 

[Northern Rider]

It is unbelievable that a company that caters to car enthusiasts would attack and offend the very heart and soul of their most avid fans - the WRX STi forum.

I am not completely shocked by this. I have plenty of seat time in their pro rally version as well as their competitors, as I was, until recently, a test driver for a manufacturer developing a pro rally vehicle.

In the past 5 or 6 years the parent company has been less and less supportive of the competitive aspects of Subaru.

DCX, on the other hand, is moving positively to support motorsports and enthusiasts with their products, Mopar, the SRT program, amongst other efforts.

 

[COSHOOTER]

Same thing happened over at "ford-diesel.com" forum a couple of years ago. They became "dieselstop.com" No big deal as far as still having a viable forum.

 

[vvv90]

WOW!!!

TALK ABOUT SHITTING WHERE YOU EAT!!! Real smart Subie! Piss of your fan base.

Frickin' brilliant

 

[WhiteDiamond]

GM has been craking down on Corvette clubs and sites big time lately. Although there is some sanity behind what they are doing it for, one has to wonder when the result of all these legal battles fully does in the enthusiast base. It is a shame that car companies find reason to try and trample on clubs that do more than just support the car maker, they build enthusiasm for a product. Hopefully, DCX doesn't see any rational in it for this forum.

Todd

 

[ekool]

I'd like to see a court case actually stand up in court that says you cant make an enthusiast site with the model name in the domain. I have not been contacted by DCX yet and hope that I never do, it does seem to me to be a bad move to alienate your most avid fan base. Weird. Guess we'll have to take a 'wait and see' approach.

 

[rogue]

It's a scare tactic and it worked. If they had stood their ground they most likely would have never heard from Suburu again I'm willing to bet. Subaru was banking on the fact that they wouldn't put up a fight, but it would be a major PR nightmare to actually take it to court.

 

[ekool]

I'm curious about this as well. The EFF should probably take a stand on an issue like this someday to set a precedent.

 

[jhelmuth]

I think this comes down to a profit motive decission. Even if they don't want to pursue any such vehicle today, they don't want to close the door on it either. By not going after these sites early, they increase their risk in losing a court battle. They probably do have a legitimate right on thier marks/marques, but I think it is generally accepted that these kind of "grass roots" forums are in no way detrimental to their product(s) (and are more likely a benefit).

 

[Scarbs]

In the Model toy world what they use to do when they get a C&D letter was sell the mold to the next guy. The C&D would have to be sent to E-kool for it to mean anything. If its just sent as a post its meaningless. Could be a hacker Troll or Mustang owner that hates our car. I wouldnt worry Like E said i'd like to see it stand up.

 

[rogue]

That brings up a good point. I used to run a site that drew C&D e-mails almost weekly. I never ONCE received an actual piece of paper. Every single one was nonsense...

They should have stood their ground...

 

[slk320]

ekool. If you recevied a C&D letter, please PM me. I have some applicable case law and would be happy to give some Pro Bono time from my firm donated to this cause.


Hopefully you won't have to use it.

 

[jjs]

That brings up a good point. I used to run a site that drew C&D e-mails almost weekly. I never ONCE received an actual piece of paper. Every single one was nonsense...

They should have stood their ground...

Seems to me he mentioned in the paragraph starting with...'In accordance...' that this was a letter, not just a post or e-mail.

"In accordance with this letter, we will no longer be using the domain name http://www.imprezawrxsti.com or the name ImprezaWRXSTi.com. Any and all t-shirts or other merchandise will no longer be available for sale from cafepress and we would urge anyone that purchased such items to return them to cafepress for a full refund."

 

[ChuckG]

It's a scare tactic and it worked.

That's exactly what it is. It's hard to understand why a company would invite bad press and stomp all over their customers.

Sometimes people have to show that they are "working" to the boss and that they are "needed" by the company to protect their best interests.

If it were me, I'd ignor it.

 

[BobCav]

Options??

What's sad is that manufacturers of computer games such as Electronic Arts (Medal of Honor to name one) not only encourage fan sites, but game mods and actually distribute helpful info and graphics and even links to those fan sites!!

I would imagine (and hope) that a company like DCX that sells $30,000+ cars to successful adults would have more foresight and loyalty than a software company that sells $45 games to 13 year olds!!!

Perhaps some forward thinking is necessary requesting DCX for permission to use certain logos and a couple variations, tailored only to identify the site, with their understanding that the logos can in no way be misconstrued as belonging to another company or car. Perhaps a disclaimer on the site....

"All logos and graphics used with express permission of DCX, blah, blah, blah"

Failing that, there is always the possibility of making it a parody site whereby all uses are protected by the First Amendment.

But of course I could be totally wrong..... :silly:


Reality is for those who can't handle alcohol!!!:alcoholic

 

[ekool]

Have not received a letter and hope we never do, but thanks for the offers of support guys!