Chinese company might get lawsuit over copy

[cobrajoe]

I know there are many here who would be interested in this, since our beloved :spyder:s get copied often with nothing that can be done.

It looks like Rolls Royce might start a lawsuit over the Geely GE that was revealed at the Chinese auto show recently. (Also it wasn't the only Chinese car that looked eerily familiar.)

Here's the link:
http://jalopnik.com/5224776/rolls+royce-plans-doomed-lawsuit-over-chinese-clone

I say the best of luck to Rolls if they choose to go through with it.





Note: if this is deemed too political, feel free to delete it. Also, lets keep this clean; Shiny Footprints and all that.

[jujigatame]

I was going to ask "where does it end?" but it seems practically useless at this point. If I were a running a car company there that was doing its own legit work, not just running a clone shop, I'd be damn upset about the fact that this just reinforces negative perceptions about Chinese goods and businesses. I guess that and $1 would get me a cup of coffee. :rolleyes:

[Lord vader]

I say the best of luck to Rolls if they choose to go through with it.





+1 I agree,although the geely is not a bad looking car.:)

[Toad310]

In these kind cases, it does help to have the kind of lawyers that only those companies like RR can afford to hire.

Not to mention the full power of the Royal Dipolmatic Corps. to serve as a back up.

Hope the nail them.

[cobrajoe]

+1 I agree,although the geely is not a bad looking car.:)
Considering that it looks exactly like a rolls, I'd have to agree :p

[rosconey]

a few years ago a chinese auto company stole the plans for a gm car-gm spent billions on development- they didnt just steal the car plans but the factory plans also-

you can take a part off the chinese(cherry auto) car and it fits the gm-

gm wanted our govt to go after the chinese for theft-gwbush refused-
it has cost gm million of dollars-

[224477]

One thing is to knock of the outside looks of the car /or any other product/ but what about the 'inner' performance?
A couple of nice samples on the 'how secure a chinese car can be' videos - here (http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=chinese+car+crash+test&aq=f)..

Amazing, if you ask me :eek:

[The Deacon]

They should have cloned a '56 Silver Cloud, or a Hooper bodied Silver Wraith. Damn sight better looking cars and less apt to provoke outrage. ;) :D

On a more serious note. It's a very difficult situation, a "difference of opinion" between Eastern and Western cultures as great as that between the European and Native Americans regarding "ownership" of land 400+ years ago. Intellectual property is a legal construct of the West, alien to the Chinese and most other Eastern cultures. The problem is compounded to no small degree by the beating intellectual property rights have taken here in the West, primarily from the internet. Stealing software, music, and film has become almost fashionable here.

[dialex]

I don't want to talk about ethics here (they say in politics, love and business everything is allowed) :( I'd simply want to emphasize that Geely is a powerful company. They make the London cab, there were rumours that they are going to buy Volvo and I was particularily impressed on their Geely GT:
http://carview-img01.bmcdn.jp/cvmaterials//cms/2008/take_car/geely_geelytiger/09_l.jpg

[SimpleIsGood229]

That "G T" looks a bit Aston-Martinistic to me. That GE thing looks so much like a Rolls, it ain't even funny. I wish Rolls all the best and I hope they nail Geely, but I'm not holding my breath.

[cobrajoe]

Yeah, that G T does look a little "aston-ish" but most Grand Touring coupes end up looking the same. Just compare that to some of the offerings of Maserati, Jaguar and Ferrari. Many times, the desired function of the car requires a certain shape, but sometimes the resemblance is too close to be considered simply necessity of design. For example, Bentley and Rolls Royce design cars that compete for the same market, and both require a similar design to obtain the required function, but both are different enough to be distinguishable.

[SimpleIsGood229]

Good point Joe, but Rolls and Bentley are sister companies. Still, point taken nonetheless. :)

[cobrajoe]

Good point Joe, but Rolls and Bentley are sister companies. Still, point taken nonetheless. :)
Huh, I guess I didn't know that. Well, I'm always for learning something too :D

[dialex]

That "G T" looks a bit Aston-Martinistic to me. That GE thing looks so much like a Rolls, it ain't even funny. I wish Rolls all the best and I hope they nail Geely, but I'm not holding my breath.

http://www.blogcdn.com/es.autoblog.com/media/2009/03/geely-gt-3-autoblog.jpg

From the front it looks to me more like the Maybach Exelero.

Still, the car has a personality of its own, unlike many shameless copies they are making there.

[SimpleIsGood229]

Oh, heck. Nevermind! That does NOT look like an Aston from the front. I agree with you, Alex--atleast it has some unique personality. Kinda surprising, really.

[224477]

But Alex, wouldnt you be affraid of driving this "car"?

[Monocrom]

It's long overdue that a company in China be held accountable for making money off of others' intellectual property.

[Namrac]

Good point Joe, but Rolls and Bentley are sister companies. Still, point taken nonetheless. :)

Actually, that's no longer true, they were split and sold a few years back. Bentley is now owned by Volkswagen, and Rolls is owned by BMW.

[cobrajoe]

But Alex, wouldnt you be affraid of driving this "car"?

Hopefully it hold up better than the Brilliance BS6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M89J5aAIbjA&feature=related

Apparently, to get better than 0 stars you need to have the crumple zones outside of the passenger compartment...

[SimpleIsGood229]

Actually, that's no longer true, they were split and sold a few years back. Bentley is now owned by Volkswagen, and Rolls is owned by BMW.
Awe heck, whattaya know! :D Thanks for the correction. Oh, and welcome to Spydieville!

[dialex]

But Alex, wouldnt you be affraid of driving this "car"?

No, not at all... Let me explain why:

It is true that the ordinary Chinese cars are well known for their less than average rating when it comes to safety and such. However, we should consider that those cars are made for the Chinese market, which has a different set of regulations. On a more cynical note, I'd say that they don't care much if someone dies in a car crash, since there is plenty "material" left where it comes from. :o The same applies for the Indian Tata Automotive (or whatever they name it), but let's forsake them for now...

But if a Chinese car will be produced for the European Union, you can be sure that it will have to comply each and every European regulation... and beyond. Because all the lobbists of the local manufacturers won't just sit there and watch how their market share is diminished (and eventually occupied); therefore, they'll do everything to chase and find any flaw in such a car - and they'll make sure everything they'll discover will be emphasized and made public.
That's why I'm confident that if a Chinese car will be able to go through all these "tests" and survive to the European market, than it will be a car I can trust. Besides, it happens that I've seen a couple Geely's and they made to me a better impression than the Daewoo or the Chevrolets they are selling here... :rolleyes: