Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Mercedes tries to burst Shuanghuan's tiny Bubble, gives up]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/06/mercedes-tries-to-burst-shuanghuans-tiny-bubble-gives-up/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/06/mercedes-tries-to-burst-shuanghuans-tiny-bubble-gives-up/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/06/mercedes-tries-to-burst-shuanghuans-tiny-bubble-gives-up/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,



Mercedes decided to sue Shuanghuan Automotive for copyright infringement for its Bubble microcar (called the Noble in China), claiming it was a copy of the smart fortwo. BMW then decided to bring its own case against Shuanghuan, citing the Shuanghuan CEO as a blatant facsimile of the BMW X5 (that's the CEO on the wall in the above picture). Mercedes got the Bubble banned from display at a couple of auto shows, BMW won its copyright infringement lawsuit in Munich, and Mercedes sued the Bubble's importer, Martin Motors of Italy, to block sales of the car.

It was all looking good... until BMW lost its case in courts in Munich and in China. The Italian court ruled that "consumers could not get confused" when similar vehicles are offered "with a significant price difference." With BMW cold knocked out in the Copyright Cage Match, Mercedes has been left alone in the octagon with Shuanghuan bearing down on it. It also hasn't helped that Italian commentators have already said they don't think the two cars will be confused.

Now Mercedes is looking for an exit. Martin Motors countersued Mercedes for €100,000,000 - around $134.2 million USD - citing potential lost Bubble sales (that's a lotta Bubbles), and Mercedes doesn't want to lose its case and have to fork over colossal damages. Both sides expect the case to be resolved in a couple of weeks, and Bubbles are expected to go on sale this summer.

[Source: Motor Authority]

Mercedes tries to burst Shuanghuan's tiny Bubble, gives up originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bmwchinacopyrightcourtfortwoitalylegalshuanghuanshuanghuan bubbleshuanghuan nobleShuanghuanBubbleShuanghuanNoblesmartsmart fortwoSmartFortwoTue, 06 Jan 2009 10:59:00 EST<![CDATA[BMW loses Clonewars Italian court battle]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/19/bmw-loses-clonewars-italian-court-battle/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/19/bmw-loses-clonewars-italian-court-battle/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/19/bmw-loses-clonewars-italian-court-battle/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,



Take a close look at the image. A court in Italy has just ruled that the crossover pictured above, the five-seat CEO built by Shuanghuan Automobile of Shijiazhuang, China, is not a clone of the BMW X5. Um... yeah. The legal battles began when Shuanghuan introduced their "Noble" last year, a near-clone of the Smart fortwo. Mercedes-Benz wasn't impressed, and threatened a lawsuit. Shortly thereafter, BMW started losing sleep over the Chinese CEO, an obvious facsimile of their previous-generation X5 (E53). The Bavarian automaker took Shuanghuan to court in Munich this past summer and won their case, and when Martin Motors (the distributor of Shuanghuan Automobiles in Italy and central Europe) started selling the CEO in early 2007, BMW again took legal action, this time in the Italian judicial system.

Last week, the Germans met their defeat when the Italian courts rejected their claims. To date, Martin Motors has sold about 200 copies of the CEO and expects to sell about 1200 this year in their European markets. "We are convinced the CEO wasn't a clone of the X5. We are happy to see our view supported by a court ruling," said an obviously pleased spokesperson from Martin Motors. We have to wonder how quickly the Italians would change their tune if Shuanghuan began to knock-off the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4.

[Source: Automotive News, subs. req'd]

BMW loses Clonewars Italian court battle originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Dec 2008 07:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BMWclonecopycatCopyrightcourtduplicatefortwoinfringementItalianlawsuitlegal battleLegalBattlepiracyShuanghuanShuanghuan AutomobileShuanghuanAutomobileSMARTX5Fri, 19 Dec 2008 07:59:00 EST<![CDATA[Daimler blocks debut of Chinese smart clone]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/01/daimler-blocks-debut-of-chinese-smart-clone/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/01/daimler-blocks-debut-of-chinese-smart-clone/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/01/daimler-blocks-debut-of-chinese-smart-clone/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Daimler's not taking the close resemblance of a Chinese minicar to a smart fortwo lightly. The German automaker has gotten a court order forbidding Martin Motors, the European distributor for China's Shuanghuan Automobile, from displaying the Shuanghuan Noble at the upcoming Bologna Auto Show. This is the second time Daimler has blocked the Noble from being displayed, having taken similar action at the Frankfurt show.

Martin Motors is calling the Noble the Bubble in Europe, since there's already another Noble. Martin contends that the Bubble is not a copy of the fortwo, citing the four seats and front engine configuration among the differentiating details. Martin Motors has also demanded in Italian courts that Daimler prove its exclusive rights to the design of the smart. If a resolution can be reached, the Bubble will go on sale for about $10,000 euros across Europe. The resemblance is striking, but copying the look isn't the same as cribbing the underlying engineering. We haven't had the opportunity to crawl over, under, or through the Bubble, so we can't comment on whether it's better or worse than the smart, but from the looks of things in the video we've posted after the jump, the Bubble is hardly a premium vehicle. Shuanghuan also sells the CEO, a midsize SUV that borrows an awful lot from the BMW X5's looks. The appearance similarities between Shuanghuan's vehicles and those of well respected competitors may not help the Chinese automaker avoid having its European sales bubble burst.

Check the jump to see a video of the Noble/Bubble in action.

More shots from Autoblog China.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

Continue reading Daimler blocks debut of Chinese smart clone

Daimler blocks debut of Chinese smart clone originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 01 Dec 2007 15:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You might recall a post last week regarding a little tiff between Smart and Shuanghuan, the purveyors of the Noble, a dead ringer for the German firm's fortwo. That vehicle, along with an SUV dubbed the CEO, will be gracing the stand of the Chinese automaker next month in Frankfurt, and it looks as though BMW may be considering legal action as well.

The CEO has a distinctly last-gen. X5 feel to it, particularly when viewed in profile and from the rear. According to Automotive News' sister publication, Automobilwoche, BMW is considering legal action if and when the CEO is unveiled, and may attempt to halt distribution of the SUV in Europe.

The IAA, the governing body for next month's show, has regulations in place that would require copyright violators to remove its products, and its entire exhibition space, from the show floor if a court-imposed injunction is filed.

We're hoping to be on hand next month if an international incident does, in fact, takes place.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

BMW joins smart in threatening copy-cat Chinese originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 27 Aug 2007 09:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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