Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[BMW 'astonished' after losing intellectual property case]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2012/07/30/bmw-astonished-after-losing-intellectual-property-case/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/07/30/bmw-astonished-after-losing-intellectual-property-case/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/07/30/bmw-astonished-after-losing-intellectual-property-case/#commentsFiled under: , ,



BMW has been tussling in courtrooms with a South African auto parts supplier called Grandmark for 13 years. The real issue revolves, of course, around money, but the legal issue revolves around intellectual property rights regarding the design of car parts. South Africa allows entities to register an "Aesthetic Design" (AD) that "is new and original, and that has features which 'appeal to and are judged solely by the eye';" BMW has received Aesthetic Design registrations for both its vehicles and the parts, and so argues that Grandmark's manufacture of identical replacement parts infringes on its intellectual property re: the AD registration.

BMW won a court order 12 years ago against Grandmark over replacement hood, headlight, grille and front fender designs, but Grandmark appealed, arguing that the AD registration for such components is ultimately invalid - that BMW can't claim a particular AD intellectual property for product shapes like headlights and fenders because parts they "are not judged visually but are dictated by function," as opposed to the overall shape of the car (which BMW also registers). A bit of clarity: South Africa also allows for the registration of Functional Design, but car parts are specifically excluded - that's why BMW registers parts under the AD provisions. The larger picture to all of this is that if Grandmark won, it would officially open the door to generic replacement car parts in this market.

After having been at this since the last millennium, the Gauteng North High Court has finally ruled in favor of Grandmark. The judge opined that car parts must be considered separately from the entire car, and says BMW needed to explain the "novel and aesthetic features" of the individual parts to uphold its claim to IP rights, which the judge felt BMW didn't do. It was the judge's opinion that the parts in question have "no features that will or may influence the choice or selection or have some individual characteristics which are calculated to attract the attention of the beholder."

BMW was naturally dismayed by the ruling, and has said it will study it closely before deciding what to do next.

BMW 'astonished' after losing intellectual property case originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Jul 2012 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>auto partsbmwcar partscourtgauteng high courtgrandmarklawsuitlegaloemoem partssouth africaMon, 30 Jul 2012 08:01:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20287822/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2012/07/30/bmw-astonished-after-losing-intellectual-property-case/20287822/article-detail.xml 20287822 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/07/bmw-logo-with-headquarters_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/07/bmw-logo-with-headquarters.jpg <![CDATA[Ford developing way to make car parts from cash]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2012/04/23/ford-may-use-old-dollar-bills-for-padding-dampening-parts/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/04/23/ford-may-use-old-dollar-bills-for-padding-dampening-parts/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/04/23/ford-may-use-old-dollar-bills-for-padding-dampening-parts/#commentsFiled under: ,



Ford is looking to put a new twist on the term "old money." The automaker may add old, shredded, out-of-circulation U.S paper currency to its list of recyclable materials that may be used for cushions, insulation and other components.

With about 10,000 pounds of paper money being shredded per day, Ford is exploring adding it to a list of recyclable or reclaimed materials that includes soybeans, denim and plastic bottles.

Ford has cut its petroleum use by about 5 million pounds a year by using soy-based material for foam that is installed in seat cushions and head restraints. And each Ford Fusion is built with the denim-equivalent of about two pairs of blue jeans that's used for sound-dampening purposes.

Ford started looking into using recycled materials about ten years ago as a way to cut use of petroleum in components that usually require plastic. At that time, oil cost about one-seventh of what it costs now.

In January, the company said it would use recycled plastic bottles from the North American Auto Show in Detroit and the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to create part of the polyester fiber used in the Ford Focus Electric's seats.

Continue reading Ford developing way to make car parts from cash

Ford developing way to make car parts from cash originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 Apr 2012 07:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>car partscashcurrencydollar billsdollarsfordford recyclerecyclableu.s. currencyMon, 23 Apr 2012 07:57:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20220711/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2012/04/23/ford-may-use-old-dollar-bills-for-padding-dampening-parts/20220711/article-detail.xml 20220711 http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2012/04/cco0008.jpg-opt_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2012/04/cco0008.jpg-opt.jpg <![CDATA[Keeping it on the road: Vehicle maintenance for fun and profit]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/11/01/keeping-it-on-the-road-vehicle-maintenance-for-fun-and-profit/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/11/01/keeping-it-on-the-road-vehicle-maintenance-for-fun-and-profit/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/11/01/keeping-it-on-the-road-vehicle-maintenance-for-fun-and-profit/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



Economic doom and gloom might have you thinking differently about the vehicle sitting in your driveway. Keeping it alive a few extra years will head off increased expense, and cars are easily able to reach beyond 100,000 miles these days. Inveterate wrench-turners have long relished stretching their dollar by breaking out the tools. When you spend less than ten bucks to solder in a new set of regulator brushes in your alternator, you feel like you've won something; you've certainly saved a fistful of cash. So what do you spend time on repairing yourself versus going with remanufactured or new parts? Popular Mechanics has a quick guide that makes some good points about the repair versus replace conundrum. The general gist is that you'll be spending more time rebuilding calipers and rodding out radiator cores on your Fury III than you might on a Chevy Lumina, though both vehicles can be kept roadworthy for as long as you please with some savvy maintenance and repair without breaking the bank.

[Source: Popular Mechanics]

Keeping it on the road: Vehicle maintenance for fun and profit originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 01 Nov 2008 15:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>auto repairauto repair tipsauto repairsauto restorationauto serviceautomobile serviceAutomobileServiceautomotive restorationAutomotiveRestorationAutoRepairAutoRepairsAutoRepairTipsAutoRestorationAutoServicecar partscar repairCarPartsCarRepairSat, 01 Nov 2008 15:23:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/1354737/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2008/11/01/keeping-it-on-the-road-vehicle-maintenance-for-fun-and-profit/1354737/article-detail.xml 1354737 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/10/impact_wrench_1_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/10/impact_wrench_1.jpg <![CDATA[The best chess set in the entire world]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/20/the-best-chess-set-in-the-entire-world/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/20/the-best-chess-set-in-the-entire-world/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/20/the-best-chess-set-in-the-entire-world/#commentsFiled under:

This is one we missed for Father's Day... Yes! A chess set made out of car parts. The Renault F1 Team Collection Chess Set features all the widgets one might find in your typical F1 vehicle -- carbon fiber for the game board, titanium and aircraft-grade aluminum suspension and wing bits to serve as the pieces, and other parts that could be mistaken for a bishop until one decides to perform a closer examination. The only thing not so cool about it is the price -- this baby will set you back close to $39,000, like almost how much a Lotus Elise costs. We hope you *really* like chess.

[Source: Renault via Sybarites.com]

The best chess set in the entire world originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20 Jul 2006 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>car partsCarPartschessgamesgiftsThu, 20 Jul 2006 14:01:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/644938/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2006/07/20/the-best-chess-set-in-the-entire-world/644938/article-detail.xml 644938 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2006/07/chess_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2006/07/chess.jpg <![CDATA[BMW components a work of art]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/04/13/bmw-gets-art-from-parts/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/04/13/bmw-gets-art-from-parts/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/04/13/bmw-gets-art-from-parts/#commentsFiled under: ,



Vehicle Design students at the Royal College of Art in London, England, received an interesting request from BMW. Company officials stopped by and asked them to compose works of art using parts from the German automaker's vehicles. Fourteen entries were submitted, and five winners were selected. They are:
  • Dynamism of a Wishbone
  • 1913 (pictured)
  • The Screw (pictured)
  • Out of The Frame
  • BMW Fossil

An online gallery of the winning works can be found at the link.

[Source: Auto Channel]

BMW components a work of art originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 13 Apr 2006 07:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ArtAutomotive artAutomotiveArtcar artCar partsCarArtCarPartsRoyal College of ArtRoyalCollegeOfArtsalvageSchool projectSchoolProjectVehicle DesignVehicleDesignThu, 13 Apr 2006 07:01:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/607840/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2006/04/13/bmw-gets-art-from-parts/607840/article-detail.xml 607840 http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/04/bmw-art_thumbnail.jpg http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/04/bmw-art.jpg -1 2