Segway and its parent company Ninebot have recently filed suit against two companies manufacturing versions of their self-balancing scooters, commonly called hoverboards. This comes in an effort to counteract negative media coverage on the safety of those products in recent weeks.
Since its founding in 2001, Segway filed a number of lawsuits to the U.S. International Trade Commission regarding several Chinese companies that were infringing on Segway’s products. One of these was Ninebot, which eventually acquired Segway.
Inventist, the company that began a Kickstart-backed campaign for its Hovertrax transporter, later became known as Hoverboard, was acquired by scooter maker Razor. Swagway also has a hoverboard-style device are also facing similar litigations from Segway for alleged patent infringements.
The main issues within the complaints arose from a great deal of negative attention for the self-balancing scooters that were copied from Segway’s design. The other companies produced less-expensive copycat devices that have demonstrated serious safety issues. Segway is seeking to distance itself from these allegations by protecting their product.
“This latest filing is a continuation of our commitment to vigorously protect our brand and products,” explained Brian Buccella, vice president of marketing and business development at Segway, in a press release, “There is a tremendous amount of confusion in the market. Consumers are under the impression that the self-balancing products that have recently flooded the market and have received negative media coverage are manufactured and sold by Segway. Our brand’s renowned reputation for quality and safety must be protected.”
Whenever someone has a good idea, there always seems to be no end to the number of companies and individuals who will try to copy that idea. If your brand or other IP are at risk, call the law offices of Greenberg & Lieberman. We specialize in protecting our clients’ patents, trademarks, copyrights or trade secrets. Contact us at our toll free number at (888) 275-2757 today.
