This is new to me:

(in response to: So this fake bride is still a legit registered company? How does that work? )
LINK




Any comments? I knew there were Bride knockoffs, but not at this level. I have kevlar version, and from these pictures, I can not tell the difference. However, I've always been adamant about buying authentic parts. I feel it is important to support the innovator and support further innovation. At least the seller does not pass them off as authentic pieces..

 

The story is kind of rubbish, propagated by Internet hear-say of course.

They are simply illegal replicas produced in Hong Kong / Taiwan.

A marketing company cannot split and form a brand as easy as people claim. Firstly the Bride name, associated logos, seat design and branding are all automatically copyrighted upon creation.

Now, copyrights apply internationally if the country you are based in (based in, not produced in) is a signatory of the Berne Convention and other binding Trade Agreements. (please note, there are very, very few countries whose Governments have not signed up to the Berne Convention!). Therefore once you create a piece of work, it is automatically protected in your country and other signatory countries from 'theft', misuse, copy, illegal use or misrepresentation.

A company cannot therefore simply decide that they want to 'take over' a brand and produce their own items by registering a Trademark. This is because fundamentally they are in breach of Copyright the instant they use another companies logos / name / branding as their own. Tees Japan (Bride) does not have to register a single thing officially, they just have to illustrate that the design / logo / product was theirs *first* in order to be the legal Copyright holder of that piece of work.

Secondly I want to address the issue of registering a Trademark. Because the Bride logo and all associated branding was created by Tees Japan (Bride) *first* no one else has the right to register or use the pieces of work (brand name, logo etc) as their own. Should a company register the brand name (design, branding schema, designs / styles) as their own Trademark they are automatically in breach of Copyright, and the Trademark can therefore be revoked as it is illegal.

What is most concerning is that people are happy to retail safety equipment whilst using the existing fame of another business. This puts peoples lives at risk and you should never support a business that intentionally does so. Seriously, if you know who it is report them to the relevant authorities.

What you are hearing from various places around the Internet are simply con-artists coming up with excuses to market illegal replicas of parts, repeated over and over until it becomes believable. The same happened with Takata Harnesses which we comprehensively disproved on various forums around the Internet, with the retailers claiming they are the 'old' models. It simply doesn't matter if they are clearly listed as fake copies, their very existence is illegal in any country that is a signatory of the Berne Convention, and they put your life at risk.

Mac
Fortyone Automotive New Zealand

 

its always nice to buy jdm goodness for half the price.

 

I wonder if these are built around the f1spec seat.

They look similar, it would just be a different fabric to wrap the shell with.

 

Actually it is very easy to tell from the Real Bride to the fake one

1. The Fabric is very loose VS the real deal tight/snug.
2. The Side 2 metal piece on the side should have "Bride" engrave into it.

 

fabric looks ok to me... but then again, its a picture

 

Technically once its shipped onto US soil it becomes an illegal piece of merchandise as I assume the Bride Trademark is registered here. They do look good though. My REAL bride seats need new cushions...I saw this a few months ago and I figured they would have been threatened with a lawsuit and gave up but crime pays!

 

they just look like something isn't right to me.

 

those would be hard to tell they look good though but wouldnt it be easier for them to start their own brand

 

Sure it would be easier, but maybe harder to sell possibly. Not everyone, but a lot of people want that brand name destinction. For this company they would most likely sell more seats with what they have done versus coming out with a seat labeled with another brand name.

Why is it when you make money it is counterfeiting or make a purse or bag (whatever) it is also called counterfeit, but when it comes to car parts people call them replicas? I just don't get it. If the original company was to come out with a part and then come out with a cheaper version of the same part I could see it being called a replica, like sports jerseys. Other companies blatantly ripping off a design to look like the real thing to me is counterfeiting. I never can understand why a company that has the ability to make whatever part, just can't come out with their own design versus stealing another design. Some might disagree, but it is stealing and by buying these so-called "replica" parts people are contributors to crime in my eyes.