WMW, Gobi just won't quit

[snowboardwcu]

defending your intellectual property is important, but very very very expensive. it is practically impossible for individual(s) to protect his/her patent. as a small business of ~30 employees, this should apply. deep pockets indeed.

knowing they have other open litigations against a few major companies for other design patents leads me to know GOBI are trolls. canvas flashlight/cell phone holders? really? :gun5:

IMHO a patent, even design patent, should be for something clever. something not blatantly obvious. an end point on a path that very few people reach, vice the obvious solution to a typical problem. "why didn't I think of that?!" instead of "well, yeah, how else would it work/look?"

the problem is the patent system. GOBIs patent should be revoked. perhaps our efforts should be focused on this goal? :sniper:

 

[CPT2nr88]

the problem is the patent system. GOBIs patent should be revoked. perhaps our efforts should be focused on this goal?

I've looked into this. It's called a reexamination. and there are 2 main types of it, Ex parte and Inter Partes. The first can be requested and once it is the requesting party has submitted the request they have no more contact with patent office or the offending company/individual. It costs $17,500 according to Wikipedia. The second type has been eliminated as of Sept 2012. And there is a post grant review and Inter partes review. post grant review is only up until 9 months after the patent was filed. which this doesn't apply to. So it would have to be an Inter Partes Review.

In order to file an inter partes review, you basically have to prove that the patent meets some of the following criteria:
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/35/102

Unfortunately because the patent system is so broken, none of those things are violated by an extremely vague patent. The system really is broken. It's sad.

 

[T4R2014]

Best thing to do is spread the word on Gobi. Letting this story disappear would let Gobi have it "their way".

 

[ajonesnv]

Best thing to do is spread the word on Gobi. Letting this story disappear would let Gobi have it "their way".

Firmly agree. I also think the old threads need to be put back into place for those Googlers looking for a rack.

 

[CPT2nr88]

Firmly agree. I also think the old threads need to be put back into place for those Googlers looking for a rack.

Honestly I hate the people that always say it... but do you people even search? It appears to be up.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/general-discussions/203660-roof-rack-controversy-gobi-vs-whitson.html

 

[Drunner97]

Honestly I hate the people that always say it... but do you people even search? It appears to be up.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/general-discussions/203660-roof-rack-controversy-gobi-vs-whitson.html

The other one (discussing the deleted 'original' thread) is also back up if you google it.

 

[snowboardwcu]

It costs $17,500

Lloyd S Christmas thats a lot of hooch!

 

[7echo]

"knowing they have other open litigations against a few major companies for other design patents leads me to know GOBI are trolls. canvas flashlight/cell phone holders? really? "

Unfortunately this sort of thing has become a 'business model'. Instead of making cool stuff and trying to sell it some companies look for little technicalities in process or manufacturing that they can exploit.

 

[willbgood]

What we can do is continue to educate newer members when Gobi Racks is brought up as well as let other friends who off road know about it. If you are in a mixed member club, let your jeep friends know, expand it further from here. ID2000/Gobi has been lawsuit happy for several years and that alone is unattractive along with their pricing. Explain how a rack from South Africa made from more expensive aluminum could cost me less than one of theirs. Most expensive rack on the market and its "design" offers zero benefits over anyone else's to justify that cost. By Gobis logic every one of our bumper manufacturers should be suing one another and same with sliders too. Coke should be suing Pepsi while we are at it. It's pathetic and the only way they can remain a viable business is to remove the competition to force us to buy their stuff. I'm normally a quiet person on this forum but this issue has me seriously worked up.

Can you tell me the name of the south African company? I need a roof rack. I am looking at the Baha 3rd gen, but I am open to looking at others.

Gobi is out...

 

[mace.]

Can you tell me the name of the south African company? I need a roof rack. I am looking at the Baha 3rd gen, but I am open to looking at others.



Gobi is out...

Check out Front Runner and K9

 

[KiruxaT4R]

I just stumbled upon this. I have a GOBI and love it.

Can someone please explain in 2-3 sentences what the hell is going on? Thank you!

 

[mtomaro]

I just stumbled upon this. I have a GOBI and love it.

Can someone please explain in 2-3 sentences what the hell is going on? Thank you!

Gobi has patents on their design. WMW allegedly infringed upon them. There was a lawsuit and settlement.

 

[KiruxaT4R]

Gobi has patents on their design. WMW allegedly infringed upon them. There was a lawsuit and settlement.

Thank you. So why is everyone pissed off at GOBI?

 

[mtomaro]

Thank you. So why is everyone pissed off at GOBI?

You really need to just read the threads. To simplify, one side is that GOBI is over stepping their bounds on what is enforceable in regards to their patents and that they are attacking a small business. The other side is that GOBI themselves are a small business and they are protecting their designs. There's a lot of hearsay and gossip in these threads going both ways so take everything with a grain of salt.

 

[nguyenn]

EXACTLY!!! They patent their product. Bottom line.

Thank you. So why is everyone pissed off at GOBI?

 

[Drunner97]

EXACTLY!!! They patent their product. Bottom line.

You obviously didn't read the threads either. It's not the patent and the lawsuit that everyone is pissed off about, it's the way they handled themselves initially when the lawsuit began.

 

[JBurt]

Not only that but it's kind of a bs patent. "Vehicle specific roof rack"? I'm going to patent vehicle specific suspension parts then sue everyone.

 

[Osmith]

Should probably start another thread if you don't want to read...

 

[Twan]

You really need to just read the threads.

Weren't all the threads deleted, despite the objection of pretty much all forum members? Yet another example of how this forum fails compared to many others. The first sign of conflict and all traces suddenly disappear.

 

[Drunner97]

Weren't all the threads deleted, despite the objection of pretty much all forum members? Yet another example of how this forum fails compared to many others. The first sign of conflict and all traces suddenly disappear.

They still exist, you just have to dig for them.