43 replies to this topic

[ICMDA]

IMPORTANT INFORMATION!

Dear Mini Drivers,

today we request you to take part of a signature collection in order to ask for hearing at the executive committee of the BMW AG.
How you may know, BMW kept the Trademark rights after the sales of ROVER „Mini “, in order to be able to produce a new „MINI “.
BMW legal department defends its name rights very strong and complains among other things regularly on omission.
Here are some quotations from a current German law case BMW ./. minimotorsport.de :

…. with the plaintiff not connected third uses at present without permission of the plaintiff possibly likewise the designation „mini “in the context of its Internet appearance.
The plaintiff (BMW) proceeds against all cases of the not authorized use of the Premium Trademark „MINI “. ......

…. The plaintiff is very active with the defense of the characteristics „MINI “straight with the usurpation by domains, in order a watering of the Premiummarke „MINI “, which nevertheless contributes 15% to the BMW company turn over. …
Letter of 01.12.2005 BMW

Here is a small excerpt from the list stated by BMW, against which Domains BMW already proceeds:
mini-muenchen.de, mini-cars.de, Mini.pl, Mini.hu, Minimotors.com, mini-mengers.de, Minigearshop.com, Miniwien.at, Minicarparts.com, Miniforum.de, Minicargadores.cl, mini norderstedt.de, mini-fanseite.de, minimotorsport.de, mini-motorsport.de, mini-machine.co.uk and a lot more.......

What hat meant for clubs and mini parts dealers in all over the world is obvious:

- Prohibition of more and more mini Domains
- Prohibition of all emblem’s, sticker’s, and merchandising like T-Shirts etc. those not from BMW
- high compensation demands

The mini community writes to the BMW AG board, with the request, this circumstances to examine and to give assistance.
Here you find the signature list for download, we asks also for your support.

Please return filled lists to:

Michael Hagedorn
Ströherstrasse 12
29229 Celle / Germany

or by fax to: +49 5141/4870888

[Jake Blues]

I have absolutely no idea what that legalese means but it sounds like BMW are trying to bully the name Mini from our hands!
I had a conversation with a MINI rep recently who wouldn't accept that the word "mini" is quintessentially British and therefore wasn't Rover's to sell as they can't own something that is part of a nation's heritage.

[minislapper]

I have absolutely no idea what that legalese means but it sounds like BMW are trying to bully the name Mini from our hands!
I had a conversation with a MINI rep recently who wouldn't accept that the word "mini" is quintessentially British and therefore wasn't Rover's to sell as they can't own something that is part of a nation's heritage.

They started doing this as soon as they took over. A lot of the smaller traders who do/did the shows have had to close due to not being able to use the mini brand anymore. BMW have been using bully-boy tactics to try and take over business names, web domains, you name it.....anything with 'mini' in it basically.

They are such a big corporation I honestly don't think a petition would make the slightest bit of difference.

[Roo]

According to smudgers post on minus shells heritage own the name 'mini' not BMW or Rover.

[Jake Blues]

I have absolutely no idea what that legalese means but it sounds like BMW are trying to bully the name Mini from our hands!
I had a conversation with a MINI rep recently who wouldn't accept that the word "mini" is quintessentially British and therefore wasn't Rover's to sell as they can't own something that is part of a nation's heritage.

They started doing this as soon as they took over. A lot of the smaller traders who do/did the shows have had to close due to not being able to use the mini brand anymore. BMW have been using bully-boy tactics to try and take over business names, web domains, you name it.....anything with 'mini' in it basically.

They are such a big corporation I honestly don't think a petition would make the slightest bit of difference.

I knew that about BMW, I have seen the letter they sent to MiniMan in Knowle....he has it framed on his wall! His reply was rather shorter....two words I think!!

[biggav]

They made Mini's Bristol Mini's change they're name... but i think that was in the Rover days and the owner tried and failed to get a Rover/Mini franchise and highlighted the fact to them that he was already advertising his business as Mini Specialists and using Mini in his trading name.

I think BMW are only aiming at Bini and are not to concerned with us Mini owners...

[pikey7]

I think the information in smudgers posts about the minus refers to the spape AND name of the product more than just the name. I may be wrong though.

However, I agree with the principle of the letter. I've seen it in Porsche circles too where the name Porsche AND the names of the cars (911, 944 etc) have been clamped down on to "protect the image" of the product. Seems pretty stupid to me in most cases, but I can understand that to see products for a particular brand of car and have the name as the domain implies in some way that it is an "authorised" product. It gets to a point where fan sites and even forums like this one are forced to either change to a completely stupid name, or pay a large fee to use the "copyright".

As for the opinion that this is only aimed at the Bini, I tend to disagree. As is listed in the letter, M-machine were forced to bow down to corporate might and change their name at one point.

I most certainly will be reading the letter carefully to see if I agree with its wording (especially as this seems to be translated from German documents), but I fully intend to sign it so that the "little man" is protected. As far as I'm concerned though, the corporates are on their own! Thats why they have lawyers and liability insurance!

[Sprocket]

Yeh BMW started this all off when the took posetion of the brand. I think they tried it with Minisport and Minispares, but scince these companies have been using the name for around 40 years, i don't think BMW got anywhere with it, also the both do spares and tuning parts for the new mini as well, which may be the get out clause. May be wrong about it though, it might still be going on.

Just imagine Minispares without the MINI in the name, what could they call them selves???

[taffy1967]

Well Minispares could have called themselves something like "the spares people for that famous little British car that changed the face of motoring forever, but now has it's name used by a German company to promote their fat hideus hatchback!"

Mind you it'd make writing a cheque a bit of a handful I think?

[Clubby1275GT]

min-its, is a good example on how to swindle it back!!
cleverly done, and also there use of "performance a-series" rather than performance mini parts.
maybe if it did get that bad a the beemer boys played hard ball we would all have to come up with cunning new names for the forums and shops alike??

[Jammy]

Thank god the use of the word mini in our name is an adjective descibing the size of the forum and not a brand name of the subject matter, otherwise things could get ugly for us as well...

[Jimmyarm]

Righto Chaps, time to stop the hun again I say

Stupid how a common word like 'Mini' which is used in many applications can be subjected to this corporate idiocy.

I understand their need to protect their brand name and hopefully the courts will take the view that any rulings should only be applying where there is an infringement on the Bini trademark.

[pikey7]

Join up to a German forum to get a letter (to then probably have to translate int English!?)? I don't think so! Perhaps an online petition would be a better bet if it's so serious.

[taffy1967]

Yeah I thought that as I couldn't understand a word when I looked!

[Wigan]

What about a Mini Skirt?