TVS Cease and Desist

As you know i am part of the Colorado Norton Owners club. All my very good friends. I am not allowed to share exact details on this yet. But I can share a bit. Basically they have received a cease and desist letter from lawyers in London telling them to shut down their website. Yes, can you believe it. So I bet the new norton company look here at our forum. I just want to say you complete fucking wankers to them that is. Go fuck yourself ( not you them).

I don’t know if anyone else has received a letter yet. I would be very curious. So let me know.

There is a possibility they will come after us. I don’t think they will get anywhere as I have some things in place to protect us, we will see. There are thousands of members here at Access Norton from all over the world and what we say means something.

We can really fuck with them if they want to play that game. I know many of you are attorneys and lawyers. If you are interested in getting involved in this. Please contact me direct. We ain’t going down easy and hopefully not at all. I have not received anything yet.

Calling all attorneys. Let’s get ready for war. Message me. Let’s start there. Any other ideas?

jerry

Well, if we cannot legally say we are part of the XYZ Norton Owner's Club, or Members of a Norton Owners Forum, can anyone legally say "I am a Ford (Chevrolet) owner"?

Slick

In protest I will not buy the proposed Norton Atlas Masala 650.

I have seen the letter received. To be clear they are asking them to remove Norton related stuff of which they don’t have anything really, not to shut the site down. It is complete BS.

I was thinking about buying a new Norton. That won’t be happening now.

Time Warp said:

Did I read here or FB the NOC in NSW / Australia got a letter to not use the Norton logo.

I find it hard to believe it said you can not have a Norton (general) discussion forum, more like not using the logo or selling logo embossed apparel / items.

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They have not sent me anything about this forum. They sent it to the club that I am a member of. Colorado Norton Owners. I hope they don’t send me such a letter. It won’t end well.

Bean counting pencil pushers always find a way to suck the fun out of life for everyone. Enthusiasts are the only reason the name survives.

Jerry Doe said:

Basically they have received a cease and desist letter from lawyers in London telling them to shut down their website. Yes, can you believe it. So I bet the new norton company look here at our forum.

jerry

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Only the logo or folk selling non authorised apparel or Norton embossed items.
If that club has a website doing that then they had a target painted on their whatsee.
The AU based NOC was told just that but in their case it was the Norton logo on the website (iirc) . https://www.nocnsw.org.au/

Time Warp said:

Only the logo or folk selling non authorised apparel or Norton embossed items.
If that club has a website doing that then they had a target painted on their whatsee.

Norton Owners Club of NSW

Norton Owners Club of New South Wales Inc. The Norton Owners Club of NSW has existed since May 1981. The present membership is around 140 members, scattered throughout Australia. The principal aim of the club is to provide a means whereby anyone with an interest in Norton motorcycles can share

www.nocnsw.org.au

The AU based NOC was told just that but in their case it was the Norton logo on the website (iirc) . https://www.nocnsw.org.au/

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Well maybe I over reacted. Just seems BS

If this is the website, the first thing I saw was a Norton Logo.
I see no reason why the owners (who payed for it) would not allow that on a Norton owners club as a generalisation but that if so that would be selective based and the modern world can not do that. (BS spelt backwards)

I believe the NOC here as per the link removed the logo/script .

Will they clamp down on the T shirt makers that are rife, no because they are not easy to police unlike a plain to see/contactable website.
In saying that if I made a mug with Norton or Triumph on it (not scripted) what could they do.

Jerry Doe said:

Well maybe I over reacted. Just seems BS

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I believe based on the constitution that is OK.

If the letters were not fake, you would think Norton would put their efforts first toward building a saleable Norton branded motorcycle .

About 15 years ago or so, VW of America started clamping down on VW club sites, and items that were being sold. VWoA wanted to get into reproducing old products (like logo hubcaps) and apparel and this activity was to protect their trademark and brand.

At the time, I had to protect my website that I run for the local club by putting a disclaimer on the site that we were in no way associated with VWoA, VWAG, etc. I also actively block the IP bots from scanning the website to prevent them from reporting me. I also have a very strict new membership rule (like this site). I think this site is fine due to not having (as someone pointed out) obvious Norton logos present.

Someone with trademark law experience can verify me on this, but on a US gov't site, "Trademarks are territorial and must be filed in each country where protection is sought." International companies typically are not able to bring action unless they have a business incorporated in the local area or have licensed the trademark to an owner in the local area. (i.e. VW of Germany, VW of America) Some of these logos and names may have fallen into public ownership - but again, I'd have to research that.

My bigger concern is for businesses like Andover Norton and the smaller companies that will have to pay out money to the new Norton owners for use of the logo, etc. This was true re: VWoA activity. As well, technically at that time you could not have a VW club unless you signed an agreement with VWoA which we refused to do. Luckily this has all calmed down on the VWoA side (my guess is that repro parts and apparel made no money for them, so they have moved on).

Time Warp said:

Did I read here or FB the NOC in NSW / Australia got a letter to not use the Norton logo.

I find it hard to believe it said you can not have a Norton (general) discussion forum, more like not using the logo or selling logo embossed apparel / items.

Click to expand...

The only reason why they want to do this, apart from the obvious, is because they want to have and control their own website.
There was a certain Japanese brand, who without revealing that it was the company who owned it, had all the above, just kept promoting their own brand, when in fact, it came out they were selling expensive flat screen TVs that lost the picture after a couple of years.
There was no spare parts backup worth sh*t,
the company also was apartley total crap in other areas.
Mmmmm......does that remind you of someone?

What part of not using the Norton logo are you not getting ? (Even if only on the home page of a (Classic) Norton Owners Club website)

That includes apparel or items with the Norton logo.


Their letter will be in the mail.

What burns people about this is the fact that all that Norton logo stuff, shirts mugs etc are really free advertising. How much dosh are they going to lose to other sellers of swag? Overall maybe a decent sum but it doesn't follow that if all other vendors are shut down the trade is going to go to them.
And as for the bikes themselves, I saw one in town the other day, first one ever in the flesh. A lovely bike, tempted to buy one but
after reading on this site the back story I am better off with my 74 in every way.
Norton sells (or sold) their bikes to the faithful. No faithful, few sales. They don't have much traction in the market without us.

This happened when the Bloor cartel first took over the Triumph rights, but I don’t know what happened in the end, it seemed to fizzle out?

I can understand them being able to enforce protection of a certain logo etc, be I can’t see them being able to do anything about the words Norton in the context of an owners group of any kind?

Seems they’re busy doing all this shite instead of opening up the factory or spares dept for actual owners!!

I wonder if Andover are in scope for a letter then?

At least five years ago I was at AN and bought a cap. It said "Norton Motors" because I think it couldn't say just "Norton".
As they have been involved in legal hassling about who can say what, no doubt they are up to speed on what they sell.

Love the attitude Jerry
But best wait 'til the envelope drops on the mat, though (if ever), don't let it spoil your road trip

Onder said:

What burns people about this is the fact that all that Norton logo stuff, shirts mugs etc are really free advertising. How much dosh are they going to lose to other sellers of swag? Overall maybe a decent sum but it doesn't follow that if all other vendors are shut down the trade is going to go to them.
And as for the bikes themselves, I saw one in town the other day, first one ever in the flesh. A lovely bike, tempted to buy one but
after reading on this site the back story I am better off with my 74 in every way.
Norton sells (or sold) their bikes to the faithful. No faithful, few sales. They don't have much traction in the market without us.

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Because the accountants and pen pushers cannot see past the end of their nose, if it had not been for all the people, both good and bad, that kept making the spare parts since the Norton factory shut down, that marque would have faded into obliteration.