Traxxas Patents

[Oh How Original]

I'm not surprised they can afford a $32M complex, look at the price of there vehicles  

What was it I was saying before about greedy.

[Fly In My Soup]

12 minutes ago, Oh How Original said:

I'm not surprised they can afford a $32M complex, look at the price of there vehicles  

What was it I was saying before about greedy.

 

Right I tidied it all up on the previous page..

 

Try not to lose count.......

 

I'll stop spamming this thread now

[Oh How Original]

Does anyone know if anyones ever sued Traxxas and won?

I'd love to read that one  

[Gaz!]

7 hours ago, Oh How Original said:

 

Well, I guess, people who are still buying new Traxxas vehicles can't really call themselves loyal hobbyists?

They are essentially funding the lawyers that could end hundreds of other brands, not only having the potential to make new products go a bit stale, but also make it so some people can't upgrade/repair there vehicles when needed.

Just my opinion of course.

 

Ok, I mustn’t be a loyal hobbyist then, I support as many local shops I can for stuff, modelsport being probably the biggest chunk of orders and might I add, BOTH trx4’s came from local shops. So what am I doing wrong?

 

all of these very interesting points raised but NONE  of the replies answered a simple question I asked way back in the thread.

 

would you, the owner of Traxxas not do any of this patenting or suing because some of your customers thought it is a immoral way of conducting business or,  just keep watching the cash roll in?

 

as I’ve said before, I don’t care who make the model as long as it’s from a company that backs its Rc sales with aftermarket support.

only two companies (I believe) can claim this, Traxxas and Tamiya, at least you know it’s not going to be sat waiting on parts (pretty much like the losi mini-t I recently purchased) it’s cost a fortune in postage alone trying to source parts from around the globe.

 

life is far too short to worry about these kind of things, we won’t change anything, no matter how bitchy anyone gets.

[Oh How Original]

21 minutes ago, big gaz said:

 

Ok, I mustn’t be a loyal hobbyist then, I support as many local shops I can for stuff, modelsport being probably the biggest chunk of orders and might I add, BOTH trx4’s came from local shops. So what am I doing wrong?

 

all of these very interesting points raised but NONE  of the replies answered a simple question I asked way back in the thread.

 

would you, the owner of Traxxas not do any of this patenting or suing because some of your customers thought it is a immoral way of conducting business or,  just keep watching the cash roll in?

 

as I’ve said before, I don’t care who make the model as long as it’s from a company that backs its Rc sales with aftermarket support.

only two companies (I believe) can claim this, Traxxas and Tamiya, at least you know it’s not going to be sat waiting on parts (pretty much like the losi mini-t I recently purchased) it’s cost a fortune in postage alone trying to source parts from around the globe.

 

life is far too short to worry about these kind of things, we won’t change anything, no matter how bitchy anyone gets.

 

Why would it matter where your TRX4s were bought?

I see it as it's still supporting a brand that appears to be trying to kill off lots of other brands, including might I add, the one you used to claim to be a fanboy of  

It's personal opinion, it's not a personal attack.

I wouldn't buy from a company who is pulling these stunts,

Anyone and everyone is welcome to disagree with it, but I stand by what I said, because that is what I think.

You mention life is too short to worry about these things.

But I enjoy this hobby, I am passionate about it, I want it to continue and I don't want to see lots (potentially hundreds) of brands dwindle into nothingness.

Brands are only going to find it harder and harder to create new things, bring out new models and provide worldwide parts support for everyone if they are having to write massive cheques to Traxxas, not to mention they won't be allowed to make certain parts and they will be limited to what they will actually make for fear of Traxxas spitting there dummies out over and over.

So I stand by what I said.

It is funding making this hobby worse, there is no two ways about that, that isn't opinion, if they win, they have used there customers money, essentially your hard earned, to close other brands down, how can anything good come from that for the consumers and hobbyists?

If a company had blatently 100% cloned every single aspect of a Traxxas vehicle, then fair enough, but I mean come on, there must be 20 different companies Traxxas have tried to sue in this thread alone.

I'm afraid we will have to agree to disagree Gaz, if you are happy with your purchases, it's your own cash to do with as you will, but I will never be a party to funding the potential massive negative impacts this could have on our hobby.

[Si Coe]

Supply is a matter of shops, distributors etc. Any brand could have that level of support - but only the major ones get it because its simply not economically viable any other way. Losi have tried to take all that in house, though in practice thats actually made things worse. 

 

Now, the question of 'Would another company do the same in Traxxas' position?' - well that depends on the company. Ones in the hobby for the love of it might patent, and even 'enforce' with cease and desist letters to blatant infringers but they wouldn't pursue multiple court case for large sums - that is the action of a company solely out for profit and nothing else. Yes both types do exist, though admittedly the former type tend to stay small. They also tend to be where the true innovation comes from. 

 

But most troubling part is the reason. Traxxas aren't being school yard bullys - this is the result of panic. The whole hobby market is changing, Hobbyking is now a major competitor, local stores don't exist and the Traxxas gravy train could start to derail soon. Their actions may speed the decline of the hobby but if the owners of Traxxas come out with a few extra zeros at the end of their bank balance it will be 'worthwhile' for them. 

 

Just not for the rest of us. 

[300bhp/ton]

10 hours ago, Oh How Original said:

 

Why would it matter where your TRX4s were bought?

I see it as it's still supporting a brand that appears to be trying to kill off lots of other brands, including might I add, the one you used to claim to be a fanboy of  

It's personal opinion, it's not a personal attack.

I wouldn't buy from a company who is pulling these stunts,

Anyone and everyone is welcome to disagree with it, but I stand by what I said, because that is what I think.

You mention life is too short to worry about these things.

But I enjoy this hobby, I am passionate about it, I want it to continue and I don't want to see lots (potentially hundreds) of brands dwindle into nothingness.

Brands are only going to find it harder and harder to create new things, bring out new models and provide worldwide parts support for everyone if they are having to write massive cheques to Traxxas, not to mention they won't be allowed to make certain parts and they will be limited to what they will actually make for fear of Traxxas spitting there dummies out over and over.

So I stand by what I said.

It is funding making this hobby worse, there is no two ways about that, that isn't opinion, if they win, they have used there customers money, essentially your hard earned, to close other brands down, how can anything good come from that for the consumers and hobbyists?

If a company had blatently 100% cloned every single aspect of a Traxxas vehicle, then fair enough, but I mean come on, there must be 20 different companies Traxxas have tried to sue in this thread alone.

I'm afraid we will have to agree to disagree Gaz, if you are happy with your purchases, it's your own cash to do with as you will, but I will never be a party to funding the potential massive negative impacts this could have on our hobby.

The story is more complex than this. Copyright/IP laws, especially those in America force a person/company to continually challenge others for breach. If they don’t do this and then required to defend their products. They could end up loosing for the simple fact of not defending it in the past. 

 

Maglite, Harley Davidson and many other US makers/brands are the same. It isn’t entirely their fault. As their behaviour is a result of the legal system they are bound too. 

 

You may not like how Traxxas operate. But you need to realise and understand why it is this way before passing judgement. 

Edited February 22, 2018 by 300bhp/ton

[Kpowell911]

11 hours ago, Oh How Original said:

I'm not surprised they can afford a $32M complex, look at the price of there vehicles  

What was it I was saying before about greedy.

Why is being greedy as a business bad?

[mond]

Other than most businesses that tend to put profit ahead of anything else aren't nice to work for, it gets you a negative reputation. Then you have to spend a ton on PR, which is insanely expensive.   

 

Sometimes it makes good sense to moderate that greed. After all, a good proportion of legislation is set to stop greedy businesses taking advantage. Just the other day Murdoch was stopped by this. 

[300bhp/ton]

13 minutes ago, mond said:

Other than most businesses that tend to put profit ahead of anything else aren't nice to work for, it gets you a negative reputation. Then you have to spend a ton on PR, which is insanely expensive.   

I think this is a nice sentiment. But can you actually name 10 conpanies that don’t put profit first?

 

The only one I can think of was Aston Martin. Who for years used to sell their cars below cost. But this isn’t true any longer. I don’t know of any others and certainly none that are major or minor players in the RC world. 

[Oh How Original]

1 hour ago, Guns said:

Why is being greedy as a business bad?

 

Because it usually ends up in instances exactly like this.

Business' like that usually just rely on the people who aren't bothered about it to continue to buy there products/services.

It also usually results in quite poor customer relations.

Plus, why is being greedy (in your opinion) a good thing?

I agree with making a profit, it makes the world go round, but why be greedy and just try to squeeze every single penny out of every single pocket?

Who benefits from that other than the greedy company?

 

2 hours ago, 300bhp/ton said:

The story is more complex than this. Copyright/IP laws, especially those in America force a person/company to continually challenge others for breach. If they don’t do this and then required to defend their products. They could end up loosing for the simple fact of not defending it in the past. 

 

Maglite, Harley Davidson and many other US makers/brands are the same. It isn’t entirely their fault. As their behaviour is a result of the legal system they are bound too. 

 

You may not like how Traxxas operate. But you need to realise and understand why it is this way before passing judgement. 

 

If this were true, every other company would be doing the exact same thing.

Proline would be doing it for certain body shells and probably 'rc car tyres'  

Axial would be doing it for 'rc rock crawling vehicles' and so on...

I will judge based on the information the company releases, not about what people guess are the reasons behind it.

They have been going for years, quite happily, alongside all these other companies, obviously making a very good profit, based on how much crap they give away to these 'YouTube famous' people... Now suddenly they have turned and it's 'pull the ladder up Jack' time and trying to screw everyone over, including you and me!

[mond]

1 hour ago, 300bhp/ton said:

I think this is a nice sentiment. But can you actually name 10 conpanies that don’t put profit first?

 

The only one I can think of was Aston Martin. Who for years used to sell their cars below cost. But this isn’t true any longer. I don’t know of any others and certainly none that are major or minor players in the RC world. 

Plenty of companies put growth and reinvestment of revenue over raw profit. In fact it's often a sign a company is about to be sold or floated if all they chase is gross profit.

[Kpowell911]

I just cant see whats wrong with someone trying to squeeze every penny out of something? I certainly try to get as much/as many benefits from my company, and Im sure they do to try and get as much outnof their customers? I dont get why thats an issue. The whole point of being a business is to be financially successful, whats wrong with doing everything you legally can to maximise this?

 

As someone stated, theyve just bought a new $32m HQ, whilst other companies are folding. Theyre obviously doing something right?

 

Maybe Proline should start doing tbis for RC tyres etc? Fact is it carries on like this traxxas are going to be the only one left. Its dog eat dog, people need to stop trying to be nice to everyone and focus on their profits before they go bump

[capri-boy]

3 hours ago, Guns said:

Why is being greedy as a business bad?

 

48 minutes ago, Guns said:

I just cant see whats wrong with someone trying to squeeze every penny out of something? I certainly try to get as much/as many benefits from my company, and Im sure they do to try and get as much outnof their customers? I dont get why thats an issue. The whole point of being a business is to be financially successful, whats wrong with doing everything you legally can to maximise this?

 

As someone stated, theyve just bought a new $32m HQ, whilst other companies are folding. Theyre obviously doing something right?

 

Maybe Proline should start doing tbis for RC tyres etc? Fact is it carries on like this traxxas are going to be the only one left. Its dog eat dog, people need to stop trying to be nice to everyone and focus on their profits before they go bump

 

Honest question here Derek - are you trying to troll or is this your serious position?  Surely no one in there right mind thinks greed is good, whether in a business or individually.  Greed is having more than you need, and in a world of finite resources by doing so you deprive others.

 

Quote

the whole point of being a business is to be financially successful

 

Not for many it isn't, i'd argue meeting a need or improving the lives of others is though.  Capitalism isn't working anymore, and never really did for the many, we may not see any viable change in our lifetimes but i'm convinced history will look back on this short lived experiment as a mistake.

[Oh How Original]

28 minutes ago, capri-boy said:

 

 

Honest question here Derek - are you trying to troll or is this your serious position?  Surely no one in there right mind thinks greed is good, whether in a business or individually.  Greed is having more than you need, and in a world of finite resources by doing so you deprive others.

 

 

Not for many it isn't, i'd argue meeting a need or improving the lives of others is though.  Capitalism isn't working anymore, and never really did for the many, we may not see any viable change in our lifetimes but i'm convinced history will look back on this short lived experiment as a mistake.

 

Unfortunately, he will be serious.

Sadly, his outlook seems to be quite black and white in these situations, take what you can, give nothing back 

[J.K]

He'll change his tune in a few years time when Traxxas are the only player in the game and are charging £800+ for plastic toys.

[300bhp/ton]

2 hours ago, mond said:

Plenty of companies put growth and reinvestment of revenue over raw profit. In fact it's often a sign a company is about to be sold or floated if all they chase is gross profit.

Growth and reinvestment are the same thing though. It just isn’t respresented as the same figure. Businesses are there to make money, period. Unless you can tell me of some that don’t. 

[Kpowell911]

52 minutes ago, James1986 said:

He'll change his tune in a few years time when Traxxas are the only player in the game and are charging £800+ for plastic toys.

They pretty much are the only player now lol. Youd need rocks in your noggin to buy from the others at the minute with no gaurentee of future parts avaliability/stock/company going bust. Cant see whats wrong with doing everyrhing the legally can to make as much cash as possible bit  Guess we will have to agree to disagree. 

[Kpowell911]

1 hour ago, capri-boy said:

 

 

Honest question here Derek - are you trying to troll or is this your serious position?  Surely no one in there right mind thinks greed is good, whether in a business or individually.  Greed is having more than you need, and in a world of finite resources by doing so you deprive others.

 

 

Not for many it isn't, i'd argue meeting a need or improving the lives of others is though.  Capitalism isn't working anymore, and never really did for the many, we may not see any viable change in our lifetimes but i'm convinced history will look back on this short lived experiment as a mistake.

 

 

i personally cannot argue with any of that speech. I know its a victicious character in a Movie but point still stands. 

 

If you feel any different feel free to give your savings and any expendable income to the homeless...

[norcoforever]

I think this is an interesting one part of me thinks they've seen an opportunity and seized it the other half of me thinks they are taking the mick. Some of the patents are ridiculous especially things like the sound unit which tamiya made years before and so would never hold up in court.

 

That being said I am not a traxxas fan boy though I love my trx4. I do feel that a lot of companies have let traxxas take control and have been lazy. If you look at their history traxxas have been the quickest to react to market demands cite the slash, xmaxx and now desert racer

 

Other brands have been lazy hpi has recycled the same chassis and designs for over a decade vorza firestorm blitz hbd8 savage in all guise the basic frames for all of these models have not changed and have not improved.

 

The Baja hpi bought from a Chinese company copyrighted it made a bundle and dis nothing else with it whereas those same Chinese companies have developed it and improved it. 

 

I think yes traxxas have taken the mick a little though I see the business point but I think other brands have been very lazy and have allowed them to become so dominant 

 

The other thing that I do feel has been overlooked is that people mention true hobbyists and I don't even know if I fall under that but they make up a tiny percentage of the market probably less than 10% and for the other 90% who just want to buy and bash traxxas has built the perfect business model

Edited February 22, 2018 by norcoforever

[Kpowell911]

Techically though Traxxas HAVE been lazy. The Bandit/Rustler/Stampede Is from the 1990s, The Slash 4x4 is fairly old too. The new E Revo is basically the old one. The Mini range is gettin on a bit too. 

 

Theyve got the Xmaxx and the UDR which are “radically” different. Then theres the TRX4. The 4Tec has a nice licensed body but thats it. Theyre where they are cause they are amazing at marketing, andwell run financially (wether or not includes some immoral decisions or not.) Theyre literally the Apple of the RC world, which some people like me are fine and happy with. There are many who are not though. What you cant argue with is its success. 

[capri-boy]

14 minutes ago, Guns said:

 

 

i personally cannot argue with any of that speech. I know its a victicious character in a Movie but point still stands. 

 

If you feel any different feel free to give your savings and any expendable income to the homeless...

 

I do.

 

 

[Kpowell911]

1 hour ago, capri-boy said:

 

I do.

 

 

And if thats what you want to do with your money thats your choice and as long as youre happy thats all that matters

[Oh How Original]

I rather feel Guns' motto is as outdated as his signature  

[Kpowell911]

24 minutes ago, Oh How Original said:

I rather feel Guns' motto is as outdated as his signature  

Im just very selfish, Well selfish on behalf of a select few I guess, can count on 1 hand the people I genuinely care about. Don’t necessarily see it as a bad thing, but supposed it could be interpreted that way. 

Edited February 22, 2018 by Guns