The fight against ideas' hacking
Wherever there is success there is also envy.
Manufacturers who respect the rights of Industrial Property and the work of inventors begin by acquiring a license.
But there are always (and in all domains) those that try to take advantage of the ingenuity of others, shamelessly copying licensed products, and justifying itself by the modification of some details here and there to confuse the issue.
Naturally, this situation is not healthy, either for the holder of the patents who incurred the costs of Industrial Protection, nor to the legitimate licensees who pay him royalties according to the legislation.
Recourse to law
The owner of a patent has powerful means of action to fight against such practices. In any case however, the courts must first return their verdict before to condemn a forger to indemnify the owner of the patent. And as everybody knows it, that takes a lot of time!
Some effective additional ways are fortunately existing to fight againts this phenomenon :
The Certificate of Authenticity
As with the Microsoft Certificate of authenticity, it is the self-adhesive label, that is fixed since January 1st 2002, on all the kites officially licensed, so proving them authentic.
This label will contain :
- The logo "Inflatablekite.com"
- A serial number consisting of a 2 letters code for each licensee
- 6 digit serial number.
- An un-forgeable hologram preventing any faithful reproduction of these certificates.
These Certificates are made by a company member of the IHMA (International Hologram Manufacturers Association) certified ISO 9001.
They allow instant authenticity control by the manufacturers, distributors and shops but also by the riders themselves.
So, if you ever come across a proper-looking wing, ‘branded’ by a licensee but not possessing the Certificate of Authenticity or if the Certificate appears to you to be a forgery,
please contact us at -Infringement-, giving us as much precise information about the wing and where you saw it as possible :
brand concerned, Size and colour of the wing, Place and date of the report, Possibility of seeing the wing again...
Importing, selling or buying kites which possess a Certificate of Authenticity means :
- You can be sure of the quality of the product and its level of safety, because the legitimate licensees were all selected according to ‘seriousness’ of their reputation.
- Recognising and respecting the rights of the patent holder.
- Protecting yourself against the risk of seizure of the material and further legal proceedings.
Information to raise public awareness of the problem
This information is included on the present website, in regular press releases, on the sites and in the brochures of our licensees.
We undertake to fight relentlessly against illegal copying and copiers