Will Elio Motors Have An Ability To Protect It's Business Model?

[RUCRAYZE]

You would think that everyday, obvious things wouldn't be patentable. You'd be wrong.
With unscrupulous lawyers and idiot government bureaucrats, you can patent anything.

The complete and utter morons at the USPTO recently granted a patent for swinging on a swing.

I'm not kidding. (<-- link)

The worst patenting living things!!!
I'm not sure that with the slightest modification(s) China or India would give a hoot.

 

[Hotscoots]

Sorry to disagree, but that's patently (pun intended) not true. Design patents cover the ornamental design of an object and are very important in today's market -- just ask Apple and Samsung. And I argue that the most unique thing about the Elio is its design, which it should spend some money to protect (after all, it's partly our -- the shareholders -- property now). See also Wiki.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/87772/chinese-copycat-cars

China "would" make an exact copy of the Elio and sell it worldwide for $ 1 if they choose.. There is NOTHING Elio will do about it . In the link above , please see dozens of examples of Chinese clone vehicles from some of the largest and capital rich vehicle companies in the world . Elio is especially vulnerable as they have not yet begun production . Chinese "XElios" could flood the market in 30 days .

 

[floydv]

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/87772/chinese-copycat-cars

China "would" make an exact copy of the Elio and sell it worldwide for $ 1 if they choose.. There is NOTHING Elio will do about it . In the link above , please see dozens of examples of Chinese clone vehicles from some of the largest and capital rich vehicle companies in the world . Elio is especially vulnerable as they have not yet begun production . Chinese "XElios" could flood the market in 30 days .

View attachment 8471

Since EM has no plans to sell overseas at this time, the Chinese can flood their market as much as they like. If they or other companies try to sell Elio clones here, I sure hope EM takes legal action to stop it.

 

[RUCRAYZE]

Since EM has no plans to sell overseas at this time, the Chinese can flood their market as much as they like. If they or other companies try to sell Elio clones here, I sure hope EM takes legal action to stop it.

and how has that stopped all the $25.00 rolex's, "off brand" M.C and scooters -yea they're cheap, but someone keeps buying 'em.

 

[Hotscoots]

Since EM has no plans to sell overseas at this time, the Chinese can flood their market as much as they like. If they or other companies try to sell Elio clones here, I sure hope EM takes legal action to stop it.

In the late 1990s , there was a huge fad going on . A California based company named PMW patented a standup scooter . So successful was this product , that all standup scooters were called "Gopeds" . In their best year , they sold over 200,000 of their $400 base model . Alas, in the coming years , thousands of containers from China were filled with copies for $99 . I don't have to tell you the rest of the story . The scooter below looks exactly like a Goped Sport ............. It is not . PMW tried to protect their patents from the Chinese pirates. They could not . Neither can Elio .

 

[WilliamH]

In the late 1990s , there was a huge fad going on . A California based company named PMW patented a standup scooter . So successful was this product , that all standup scooters were called "Gopeds" . In their best year , they sold over 200,000 of their $400 base model . Alas, in the coming years , thousands of containers from China were filled with copies for $99 . I don't have to tell you the rest of the story . The scooter below looks exactly like a Goped Sport ............. It is not . PMW tried to protect their patents from the Chinese pirates. They could not . Neither can Elio .

View attachment 8472

The difference is "Gopeds" didn't have to comply with DOE, EPA, NHSTA, or IIHS standards. Not to mention CARB requirements.

 

[Hotscoots]

The difference is "Gopeds" didn't have to comply with DOE, EPA, NHSTA, or IIHS standards. Not to mention CARB requirements.

They had to comply with CARB which eventually drove them out of California to Minton Nevada . The Chinese copies didn't comply with any standards and sold like hotcakes just about everywhere .

 

[Hotscoots]

Below is a Chinese 3 wheeled vehicle already on the market . Picture gleaned from Ebay . 300 CC

 

[WilliamH]

Below is a Chinese 3 wheeled vehicle already on the market . Picture gleaned from Ebay . 300 CC

View attachment 8473

Looks like a low powered T-Rex rip-off.
Couldn't read the full URL to see more info.
But definitely not an "autocycle"

 

[floydv]

I'm not worried about Chinese Elio knockoffs. It's one thing to knock off a $100-500 scooter, it's another to try it with a sub-$7000 vehicle and succeed. First, there are the various safety and environmental requirements that the clone vehicles would need to meet (unlike the scooters). Second, U.S. consumers here will see the clones for what they are -- a substandard, potentially hazardous inferior vehicle.

Soon after the smart was successfully introduced in the U.S. in 2008, there was a Chinese clone (Noble, various other names) that looked nearly identical (except for some weird reason, they cloned the previous gen smart car). I've seen no evidence that those clones ever succeeded in being imported to the U.S. (I hear they can be imported into Canada but have seen nothing on their sales). Having seen the crash test videos of some Chinese vehicles, I'm not surprised the smart car clone hasn't made it here. I expect an Elio clone would fare just as well.