I am not SomeBloke

Wow… and here I was thinking I'd skip a run today because I don't really feel up for it. Going to set this guy's picture as my desktop for inspiration.

Good to see. Any news on the prognosis for his injury?

Everything Bluegrass looks awesome.

Ouch… ASI threw Spez under a bus there. I wonder if he sells Fuji bikes?

Yeah, I think he got lucky that a) he seems to know someone in the press or that some eager journalist found his story and b) he's a war vet, something Americans love (and the journalist didn't hesitate to mention) otherwise I'm sure he would have quietly rolled over too.

Not really stellar reviews for those helmets, which seem to be white labeled. Can't imagine the Kenny would be any better. Pity, as it's a good looking helmet.

I don't think anybody goes out looking to be sued, it's a costly process, and the first salvo in this battle was fired by Specialized. I also don't see any similarity between his brand and the Specialized branding so it can't be an issue with his visual identity, which leaves just the Roubaix name and, given that it's a place name associated with cycling and that all branded items include the word Café (preventing confusion between the two brands), I think he has a pretty decent defence. The more I read about the case, the more I think that Spez fumbled this one.

They'll probably go the $1 licensing route. If they'd had this approach from the start they would have generated brand goodwill whilst covering themselves legally. Whoever's running their PR should be fired.

And that's the crux of it, I can't believe how badly Specialized are fumbling this. One pithy little statement amidst this whole clustercuss.

Well spotted, thanks for the advice.

Anybody had any real world experience with these? Can't find a lot of info on the Kenny helmets but they look pretty sweet:

We should get Adams & Adams in here. My understanding is that the mere presence of a ™ on their logo would be enough for them to protect themselves against cases like this.

That's actually way cooler.

The thing is, it really isn't Spez's fault. The manner in which they've done it is pretty sloppy but their hands are essentially tied here, they have to take legal action or suffer the consequences some time in the future. If people are willing to boycott Spez, they'd better be willing to boycott the other big bike brands as well as Apple, Samsung, Nokia, Microsoft, etc.

Social media is slightly more influential than traditional news when it comes to the court of public opinion.

And that, folks, is how you do it. Spez could learn a thing or two from JD.

They should have had a PR contingency plan in place. Their lack of response on the issue thus far has just fuelled the social media fire. Whether they've threatened to sue or have sued is just semantics, at least as far as the general public is concerned. Given the damage in dollars to the brand this exercise has caused, a better approach would have been to publicly lament the way the trademark laws are structured and announce that they had offered to pay for all rebranding costs for the store. Your last point is their biggest mistake so far, waiting 'til Monday to say something.

Different industries. As I mentioned earlier in this thread, because of the way the trademark law is structured, Spez has to defend it otherwise it can be used against them I'm future suits (failure to protect their trademark). The way they've done it is PR suicide, though.

Actually, just the opposite. It would count against them if they ever tried to sue for the name in a different instance since it could be pointed out that they had not legally tried to protect the name on this occasion. The way the trademark and patent laws are structured, not suing someone can act as a precedent. Blame the laws, not the company.

Live from Mike's: http://i.imgur.com/Sh1xHb8.jpg

Who knew, bigger wheels roll over some obstacles better. In other breaking news, Steve Hofmeyr isn't going to be voting ANC this year.

1) To not break anything. 2) To keep doing 1) for as long as possible.

http://i.imgur.com/2gBZLQH.png + http://i.imgur.com/hlVh8sV.png =

Or it's easier to ride fast when you're actually enjoying yourself.

R149 at Makro http://www.thebostonschool.com/Garden_Spade.jpg