Freilein Windrider Quad Kite

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[rncembal]

This is a helpful clarification. If the same factory/company serves as both the knockoff-maker and the go-to licensee for production, that is very troubling. Though, while I was writing this, I see thief say that Weifang is a place, not a person/company. So, is it indeed the case that the same parties make both knockoffs and legitimate kites? Or are the licensees somehow enabling the knockoff-makers? If not, you would be smearing good (or, at least, approved) actors just for being of the same nationality of the bad.

Weifang is a place, kite factory and a person as well.  The factory itself has at least 2 other names one of which is used by premier and new tech.  Weifang, the person, (the only name I know him by) is a well known counterfieter that runs 3 kite factories(one factory with 3 names?) and there are pics of him at conventions and festivals all over.  He was at the festival where the wala was first publicly shown and within a few weeks wala clones were popping out of his factory before the official release.

I don't see any invoices from Mr Tan's factories what do you know that I don't

(fixed your damn tags again Rob rob)

[coop]

So I have been trying to research the Gomberg case and it appears it never went to trial. Heres a quote from user jburka from the rev forum:

"I feel it's important to have a little clarification on that one...

First, a disclaimer: David is a friend of mine and I've traveled with him a fair amount. I'm also a customer of Gomberg Kite Productions International and have sent way too much money to New Zealand via Neotsu, OR.


The situation with Chinese manufacturers is such that it would be largely impossible to go after the factories. What David did was to sue an American kiteflier who had imported 5 maxi and over-large octopus kites. His lawyer was kiter and intellectual property lawyer Carl Crowell (many of you have probably seen Carl's Crossdeck cellular kites at festivals).

Obviously there is risk in, as one kiter put it, "suing one of your best customers." But David felt that he had to do so in order to protect the value of the Peter Lynn kites for which he is the American reseller. In addition, he was suing a single person over about $25,000 worth of kites, as opposed to a $300 piece. And finally, my understanding is that the defendant was aware that he was buying knock-offs, but felt that the price was "too good to pass up."

The suit never made it to trial, as David and the defendant reached a settlement, the details of which are private. "

So he settled out of court. Actual details are far and few, I would be curious what the settlement was, as he apparently did sue his customer. And again, this did nothing to solve the problem. The US laws are odd in that its not illegal to own counterfeits or buy them, only to sell them(in fact only France and Italy have laws against buying). So in reality the customer that was sued didnt break the law. If it was so easy to sue purchasers of fakes, Rolex would make more money doing that then they do selling the real ones.

Before I get jumped on by everyone, Im NOT siding with the buyer, but I would love to know the actual facts of the case. I find it very interesting that Gomberg was able to accomplish this.

[thief]

i feel that if the gomberg situation is to be discussed it should be in another thread, not this one.
Personally as I was not involved in the situation in anyway I am staying out of it....there is way too much I do not know in it.

[Ca Ike]

This is a helpful clarification. If the same factory/company serves as both the knockoff-maker and the go-to licensee for production, that is very troubling. Though, while I was writing this, I see thief say that Weifang is a place, not a person/company. So, is it indeed the case that the same parties make both knockoffs and legitimate kites? Or are the licensees somehow enabling the knockoff-makers? If not, you would be smearing good (or, at least, approved) actors just for being of the same nationality of the bad.

Weifang is a place, kite factory and a person as well.  The factory itself has at least 2 other names one of which is used by premier and new tech.  Weifang, the person, (the only name I know him by) is a well known counterfieter that runs 3 kite factories(one factory with 3 names?) and there are pics of him at conventions and festivals all over.  He was at the festival where the wala was first publicly shown and within a few weeks wala clones were popping out of his factory before the official release.

I don't see any invoices from Mr Tan's factories what do you know that I don't

(fixed your damn tags again Rob rob)

My appologies if my info is a bit out of date or incorrect since there have been several changes in where kites are made and its not easy to keep track if your not a manufacturer insider.  I know a few kite companies have added or changed factories a few times over the years.  PRism , FW and I believe HQ now use the same factory where a few years ago prism had its own factory set up by one of Marks friends as a watercraft sail shop originally. Who but them knows whats changed or is changing since I found that info.

As for Mr Tan (Weifang Tan as i have seen him called) I have read from a few places that he is associated with Albatross kites, weifang kites, and a couple other weifang province factories where a lot of the clones are coming from.  Unconfirmed info leads to him being responsible for the wala, nirvanah, sea devil, fearless, some rev, possibly the china TNT and other clones that are obviously copies right down to the sail layout.

I have had a few conversations with the owner of passion kites, who thanks to John Baressi, has stopped selling rev clones and is now working on being an official rev dealer in china.  THat is pushing OEM brands over clones as much as possible so all this talk we do is having an affect even if its only a small one.

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