Fake rackets - Yonex's attitude

[david14700]

From reading posts by some pretty knowledgeable people on this site, there seem to be HUGE numbers of fake Yonex rackets out there. Bluejeff said he estimates that 9 out of 10 Yonex rackets sold on eBay are fake, and I'd have to agree that sounds about right.

Does anyone know what Yonex does about these fake sellers or manufacturers? Surely they must do something, since every purchase of a fake racket means one less genuine Yonex racket being sold.

Has anyone ever contacted Yonex about this? I've never heard of them sueing anyone or using the authorities to go after counterfeiters. It can't be hard to identify them.

Is it just the case that Yonex can't be bothered? It doesn't sound consistent since they are so aggressve in their marketing.

[Russki Bear]

It can be hard to get at the counterfeiters if they sell from China, as China is very lax with copyright laws. I know GM are sueing a Chinese company for copying the Daewoo Matiz, but they're so identical they don't just look the same but share a high percentage of interchangeable (though not absolutely identical) parts. As there are obvious differences in the construction of genuine and fake Yonex racquets, depending on Chinese laws, may make it hard to prove copying.
However, actually selling look-alike counterfiets is so common it'd shut down half the country if they were to crack down on the issue.

[Wong8Egg]

It can be hard to get at the counterfeiters if they sell from China, as China is very lax with copyright laws. I know GM are sueing a Chinese company for copying the Daewoo Matiz, but they're so identical they don't just look the same but share a high percentage of interchangeable (though not absolutely identical) parts. As there are obvious differences in the construction of genuine and fake Yonex racquets, depending on Chinese laws, may make it hard to prove copying.
However, actually selling look-alike counterfiets is so common it'd shut down half the country if they were to crack down on the issue.

I think the differecnes between the car and the fake raqact are that the fake raqacts are badged with the Yonex logo and as well claiming to be one. But stopping fake mechundices from China is certainly won't be easy.

[ants]

I'm sure Yonex is aware of the Fakes in the market. However it will be a waste of time sueing them. This will lead to a long and tiring court time. And also Waste of Money. They can sue a guy for producing a fake, but i'm sure there is many Fakes manufacturer there in the Market. The process will go on and on.
That is why Yonex is concentrating more on Research and Development. With that, they will have more info and datas to educate their customers and potential customers about their products. People nowadays are more willing to spend money on quality items.

When you are good, only people/ companies would want to copy you. Anyway its free publicity for Yonex with fake items carrying the Logo.

[black man]

http://www.proace.com.tw/badminton/badminton.htm <== on the top of this site, they talked something about Yonex. Is this legal? I mean they are unfair to their competitor.

[ants]

http://www.proace.com.tw/badminton/badminton.htm <== on the top of this site, they talked something about Yonex. Is this legal? I mean they are unfair to their competitor.

Well it is ok to mention a competitor's name. There is no law that prohibit it. As long as they don't simply give false claims.

[ShadowFury]

well if you buy a fake racquet off ebay and you know the sellers name adress etc. yonex will track them down and you get a free real one

[cappy75]

Really? Says who? I highly doubt Yonex or any self-respecting corporation would give away freebies when they don't even bother with those guys. If you can source them out, I am sure it won't be hard for Yonex to find them:rolleyes:.


well if you buy a fake racquet off ebay and you know the sellers name adress etc. yonex will track them down and you get a free real one

[black man]

Well it is ok to mention a competitor's name. There is no law that prohibit it. As long as they don't simply give false claims.

So you mean that the so called ProAce had told the truth when "YONEX" is unable to develop rackets of HIGH-BEAM series, which features at low wind resistance (quickest swing speed) and low vibration (the most effective swing & hi-performance)???:eek:

[cappy75]

Isn't HIGH-BEAM series a ProAce product? Yonex also claim some of its models to have low torque resistance and stable swing (ie. low vibration:confused: ).


So you mean that the so called ProAce had told the truth when "YONEX" is unable to develop rackets of HIGH-BEAM series, which features at low wind resistance (quickest swing speed) and low vibration (the most effective swing & hi-performance)???:eek:

[david14700]

Not to go too off topic, but there are laws called comparative advertising regulations which allow one company to use the name/trade mark of a competitor to compare products only, like with Coca Cola and Pepsi, or McDonalds and Burger King.

Don't think most people would seriously believe that ProAce can produce something that Yonex can't, anyway.

[jcl49]

Don't think most people would seriously believe that ProAce can produce something that Yonex can't, anyway.
Am I right to believe that the "Aerotus" series from Yonex already achieved the aerodynamic frame that ProAce was mentioning. Following the lack of success from the Aerotus series, Yonex returned to boxed cross-section.

[ants]

Not saying anything bad to ProAce. But i think they can't do some of the things that yonex does. But Yonex doesn't say anything about it. :)

[J_M_V]

Successfull companies (no matter what the product is) have always been copied. Only thing they can do is to keep on developing new successfull features & products - this is mainly because, as many have already mentioned, it isn't worth the time and effort to track down illegal copycats. What Yonex does, though, is to let people know how to separate a fake from the real product. This is done mainly on their website, so perhaps they could be a bit more active on this...

[Arief]

It can be hard to get at the counterfeiters if they sell from China, as China is very lax with copyright laws. I know GM are sueing a Chinese company for copying the Daewoo Matiz, but they're so identical they don't just look the same but share a high percentage of interchangeable (though not absolutely identical) parts. As there are obvious differences in the construction of genuine and fake Yonex racquets, depending on Chinese laws, may make it hard to prove copying.
However, actually selling look-alike counterfiets is so common it'd shut down half the country if they were to crack down on the issue.

Are you talking about clones here? Clones and fakes are different...

[Arief]

Isn't HIGH-BEAM series a ProAce product? Yonex also claim some of its models to have low torque resistance and stable swing (ie. low vibration:confused: ).

Owing to ineffective innovation in technology and materials, "YONEX" is unable to develop rackets of HIGH-BEAM series, which features at low wind resistance (quickest swing speed) and low vibration (the most effective swing & hi-performance), thus turn to supply the oldest type "Box Shape".

hm... see the highlighted part carefully...

[Russki Bear]

OK...I see I am not quite understood.

I am by no means an expert on Chinese law, but I think everyone here will agree their copyright laws are very lax.
I was getting at the burden of proof that is lumped on the plaintiff in any potential case of copyright irrespective of clone or fake. A fake/cloned racquet is not the same as a Yonex version purely due to the fact that they are made of different things with different techniques. GM had to do extensive reverse engineering of the chinese Chery car to determine how much of a copy it is, and I know that the US Government and industry often cries foul over this. Looking like someone else's product may not be enough, because look-alike fakes are extremely common and a significant part of the Chinese economy and I don't beleive they'd want to stop the practice. So I gathered (that is, in my non legal mind) that the only way to prove copying under Chinese law is to establish that the products are indeed identical or to a certain extent very near to identical.

To know for sure you'd have to ask a lawyer specialising in Chinese copyright law. Just a thought.

Russki Bear

[fanatico]

someone should help proace improve on its website...

[swgiant]

if proace cant do a good job and whatever its said on the website, of coz is ********! just use your eyes to watch what other is using and they are not a dumb or stupid! compare with the quality of product not brand! and yet iam not a proace fans so everything please be fair. if they (proace) can do a good job why they cant be proud with their words?;)

[fanatic]

if proace cant do a good job and whatever its said on the website, of coz is ********! just use your eyes to watch what other is using and they are not a dumb or stupid! compare with the quality of product not brand! and yet iam not a proace fans so everything please be fair. if they (proace) can do a good job why they cant be proud with their words?;)

not to go off-topic here but just to justify pro-ace's claims.

i've owned proace's dms series such as 328 of 99, the frames are so sharp edged even up till the t-joint, couldn't find another brand daring enough. the result is very minimal air-resistance. very evident by comparing the noise made during swinging these racquets cos it produces so little noise thus very little air-resistance. and its very wide bodied 3U racquet. an excellent piece.

just an example of their proof to their claims.
;)

[Noob848]

not to go off-topic here but just to justify pro-ace's claims.

i've owned proace's dms series such as 328 of 99, the frames are so sharp edged even up till the t-joint, couldn't find another brand daring enough. the result is very minimal air-resistance. very evident by comparing the noise made during swinging these racquets cos it produces so little noise thus very little air-resistance. and its very wide bodied 3U racquet. an excellent piece.

just an example of their proof to their claims.
;)

Have you played with yonex's Aerotus series rackets? cuz i have one and it makes minimal sounds, meaning yonex is able to develope such technology proving proace to be bullcrapping us

[cooler]

not to go off-topic here but just to justify pro-ace's claims.

i've owned proace's dms series such as 328 of 99, the frames are so sharp edged even up till the t-joint, couldn't find another brand daring enough. the result is very minimal air-resistance. very evident by comparing the noise made during swinging these racquets cos it produces so little noise thus very little air-resistance. and its very wide bodied 3U racquet. an excellent piece.

just an example of their proof to their claims.
;)

i think proace had a novel idea back then but i think yonex had improved on what they got instead. How taper a object is not everything in reducing air resistance. I havent look at currect models of proace rackets, are they still tapered or more closer to yonex's frame design :confused: ;)