SCOOTER MAKERS SKATING ON THIN ICE, SUIT CLAIMS PATENT INFRINGEMENT CITED.Byline: Dereck Andrade Staff Writer The distributor of a trendy aluminum kick scooter A kick scooter or push scooter is a small, 2 or more-wheeled platform that is propelled by a rider pushing off the ground. The most common scooters have two hard small wheels, are made primarily of aluminum and for children, and fold for convenience. has filed suit against 16 rival manufacturers and distributors it claims are peddling knock-offs. Razor USA filed a patent infringement patent infringement n. the manufacture and/or use of an invention or improvement for which someone else owns a patent issued by the government, without obtaining permission of the owner of the patent by contract, license or waiver. lawsuit Tuesday after receiving a U.S. patent for the rear fender of its scooter, which acts as a brake when stepped on. ``We filed for a patent in January, and we were issued one on Oct. 31,'' said Carlton Calvin, president and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of Cerritos-based Razor USA. ``That same day we filed the lawsuit. ``For our competitors, it means that basically you have to invent your own products.'' Among the named defendants are K2 Inc. of Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , Variflex Inc. of Moorpark and Industry-based Asa Products Inc. All the scooters distributed by the companies named in Razor's lawsuit feature the rear fender friction brake (Mach.) a form of dynamometer for measuring the power a motor exerts. A clamp around the revolving shaft or fly wheel of the motor resists the motion by its friction, the work thus absorbed being ascertained by observing the force required to keep the clamp from revolving with the . Razor claims that many of them copy other features as well, including black oval-shaped grip tape Grip tape is an adhesive backed friction-surfaced material usually attached to the deck of a skateboard or longboard to give the rider more friction to control the board. It is often used as a decoration, and can come in all different styles and colors. on the scooter's horizontal standing plate, a polished aluminum frame and translucent-colored or clear wheels. One of the companies, Kash 'n' Gold, markets a scooter it calls the ``Racer X Racer X may refer to:
John Rangel, chief financial officer of K2 Sports, one of the defendants named in the Razor suit, said he has not yet seen the lawsuit. He said the patent, as he understands it, would have a minimal impact on K2, a ski and snowboard company with $700 million in sales, less than $5 million of which comes from the sale of two and three-wheeled scooters. Razor scooters, made by Taiwan-based JD Corp., sell for between $90 and $120 and stand to be among the holidays' best-selling toys. Calvin said he hoped his company's action would have a positive financial effect on the scooter market in the fourth quarter if he prevails in court. The company is asking the court for an injunction prohibiting the defendants from making or selling their scooters. It is also asking for unspecified compensatory and punitive damages Monetary compensation awarded to an injured party that goes beyond that which is necessary to compensate the individual for losses and that is intended to punish the wrongdoer. . But Calvin said the company would also continue to actively address Razor USA counterfeiters who have been manufacturing and distributing look-alike scooters. While there are no official, industrywide statistics on U.S. scooter sales, Razor USA officials estimate they maintain a 50 percent to 60 percent share of the U.S. market. The company projects that up to 5 million Razor scooters will be sold at retail locations by the end of the year. The Associated Press contributed to this report. |
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