Modular Roof Rack Build

[wake_rider]

Stoked to see where this goes. Bummer to hear that Whitson is battling with a bigger company. Sad to see smaller dudes face such precipice when trying to get into an industry, yet that's the corporate American dream and juat the sad reality of our system.

Subscribed!

 

[wslytoy]

Sub'd!

 

[MStudt]

The release of my rack is being pushed out a bit. Come to find out that I nor anybody making racks for sale publicly can produce vehicle specific roof racks. There's a patient that an unspecified company (we know the company) has prohibiting manufactures to have vehicle specific racks. This being said, I must redesign my rack to be a universal fit between all 4runner Generations. The rack must be the same design, and have different mounting options for different Gen's.

Public Information

 

[mountain mike]

I wonder how Baja is making them. They have a lot of vehicle specific racks. I would imagine there are other company's out there that have Jeep specific racks as well.

 

[GSPRunner]

Yeah that doesn't make sense pretty much every company who builds racks has vehicle specific models

 

[MStudt]

I wonder how Baja is making them.

Being sued as well.

Yeah that doesn't make sense pretty much every company who builds racks has vehicle specific models

Baja

CMM Assembly & Manufacturing

The above two are sister companies working together.

 

[jstim]

I wonder how Baja is making them. They have a lot of vehicle specific racks. I would imagine there are other company's out there that have Jeep specific racks as well.

They are being sued as well.
[MENTION=98153]MStudt[/MENTION], what if you built a rack, that say, was of a proper size for a 3rd gen, and separately sold say, some brackets that would allow you to mount said rack to said 4Runner?

 

[MattJakobs]

Could you not just build one to match the lines of a 3rd Gen and similarly sized vehicles of different companies? Then it's more of a universal rack for vehicles of that size.

 

[MStudt]

They are being sued as well.

[MENTION=98153]MStudt[/MENTION], what if you built a rack, that say, was of a proper size for a 3rd gen, and separately sold say, some brackets that would allow you to mount said rack to said 4Runner?

That's the basic idea. You'd need to have a universal type rack(s), and from there have different mounting options. Something similar to Yakima and their control towers. The control tower is the same, but has different landing pads for different vehicles.

 

[cashmoney]

I wonder how Baja is making them. They have a lot of vehicle specific racks. I would imagine there are other company's out there that have Jeep specific racks as well.

They've got a lawsuit against them also.

 

[RunningWild]

Good news: the patents at issue are design patents, not utility patents. The infringement question is thus whether another roof rack looks too much like theirs, not whether it works the same way or was built the same way. They do not have a patent on vehicle-specific racks, nor any other basic rack technology.

Bad news: a general-purpose cargo rack is a relatively simple item, so any two made for the same vehicle roof are going to appear similar. The details of construction and operation are really what set them apart for the customer.

In short, please don't cramp your style trying to modify how you want to do the mounting brackets for different models or whatever functional choices you make. Just make sure the finished product is easily recognized as not a ____.

 

[MStudt]

In short, please don't cramp your style trying to modify how you want to do the mounting brackets for different models or whatever functional choices you make. Just make sure the finished product is easily recognized as not a ____.

Not worth the gamble when I have everything at stake!

 

[yota_addict]

This shit is ludicrous! Sounds like s monopoly to me. The Microsoft of the rack world. Just build them and PM us when done! Shhhhh, no one has to know.

 

[BrianSD_42]

The release of my rack is being pushed out a bit. Come to find out that I nor anybody making racks for sale publicly can produce vehicle specific roof racks. There's a patient that an unspecified company (we know the company) has prohibiting manufactures to have vehicle specific racks. This being said, I must redesign my rack to be a universal fit between all 4runner Generations. The rack must be the same design, and have different mounting options for different Gen's.

Public Information

[MENTION=98153]MStudt[/MENTION]

Why don't you just patent your design? The whole issue is that the patent office is using patents for the same basic design.

Patent yours and move forward. You are mainly vulnerable if you have no patent at all.

 

[MStudt]

[MENTION=98153]MStudt[/MENTION]

Why don't you just patent your design? The whole issue is that the patent office is using patents for the same basic design.

Patent yours and move forward. You are mainly vulnerable if you have no patent at all.

It's already in the works. I have a friend who's a patent lawyer looking over everything. I'm not sure how long it's going to take, but I won't be selling anything until it's finalized.

I'm supposed to meet with him today about changing the design or not. We're going over some of the larger manufactures patents. Hopefully I'll be able to move forward on this.

 

[snivilous]

Is it really worth it to get a patent? A patent will take years to be issued and cost thousands of dollars. I would figure out how not to infringe and go from there; there's been things at work I invented that the company decided not to patent because it simply wasn't worth the time and effort based on the current market of that system. Seems like this might fall into a similar category.

And as other people touched on, can you not just make 5 different products that plug together to make the rack? Individually they're obviously not a rack but when assembled/built it is a rack, except you're not selling it as a bulk system--similar to building a computer, then you retain modularity and won't be infringing but the end product the customer pieces together has the same function.

 

[Oprah]

Interested to see where all of this goes. I have a feeling it may end with a beautiful rack.

Sub'd.

 

[4Runrrun'n]

super curious how it will turn out myself!!! sub'd.

Will be very interesting what info your patent lawyer friend comes up with.
Please keep us in the loop...

 

[Brique]

Reread above. Edited for discretion.

 

[MuddyButt]

Screw Gobi. Boycotting those A-holes.

I really don't want to buy from Gobi after hearing about this. Think I'm going back to the drawing board and making my own roof rack. But first I need to get some funds. and a better welder than the one I used for my last roof rack, it was terrible, or maybe it was the welding rods that sucked. still would rather get a wire welder. Or maybe I will wait to see what Mstudt has to offer.