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Gobi Racks, bad business practice?

Discussion in 'General Automotive' started by t4rwadle5, Sep 18, 2015.

?

Have you purchased a Gobi Product

  1. Yes

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  2. No

    100.0%
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  1. Sep 18, 2015 at 1:57 PM
    #1
    t4rwadle5

    t4rwadle5 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    I don't know how active forum members are here. But over on T4R there was a fellow member who was a great contributor and fabricator of 4Runners who was under legal threat by a large company and producer of aftermarket racks. Didn't know if anyone knows, but the input in general prior to this coming to light was the larger company was notorious for horrible service, delivery, wait time, shipping, powder coating delays, etc. Was wondering what anyone's experience here is with Gobi, or legally known as ID2000? The historical practices of patent infringement from everything to a phone case to now the idea of a roof rack is just a few of the items they have under their belt?
    Was just seeing if anyone else had any interactions with the company, since this occurred they have completely locked down their facebook page and their site is currently "under construction". This is also after the owner and an employee created accounts without fully disclosing this and tried steering the conversation away from the matter at hand? Now they are continuously trying to get the public forum threads deleted with this incriminating evidence.


    EDIT:As of today 09/21 the threads have now be un"deleted"
     
    Last edited: Sep 21, 2015
  2. Sep 18, 2015 at 2:01 PM
    #2
    mountainwolfpup

    mountainwolfpup Ford Guy (Formerly known as a Toyota Guy)

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    First month of ownership... This month I'm removing front air dam, and also Rhino lining the bed.
    Sorry no I've never heard of them. But just checked out their website and they seem to have some pretty cool racks. I like the "no drilling required" idea. And they look great! Too bad they only off them for the 4 door Tacoma.
     
  3. Sep 18, 2015 at 2:03 PM
    #3
    t4rwadle5

    t4rwadle5 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Yes while a cool product, they somehow are now going after baja racks as well. The no drilling is nothing new, I believe they were upset, because the T4R member a welder by trade reversed engineered a full length rack to the factory mounting points on the roof and was half the cost. The "infringement" they were claiming was a roof rack for a vehicle. Vague at best
     
    Last edited: Sep 18, 2015
  4. Sep 18, 2015 at 2:18 PM
    #4
    mountainwolfpup

    mountainwolfpup Ford Guy (Formerly known as a Toyota Guy)

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    First month of ownership... This month I'm removing front air dam, and also Rhino lining the bed.
    Oh. OK, now I see your point. Guess I missed the point initially. Sorry - read your post too quickly.

    Well, I know nothing about patent law (and not much more about law in general) but do know we have problems with our US Patent office handing out patents to anyone for anything and it is expensive to get a patent thrown out. A real mess that is ultimately affecting our overall economy and ability to innovate and manufacture things. Bummer!

    I guess Baja Racks is going to have to see if they have the cash and chops to take them to court. In for a LONG AND EXPENSIVE FIGHT. But you never know.

    I see Intelligent Design 2000, aka Gobi Racks just won an intellectual property (IP) case against Whitson Metalworks earlier this week (see article here). So that might indicate their patents have some merit, legally anyway.

    Anyway, I'd need to see the patent involved to see how I personally ultimately felt about it. I just don't know.
     
    t4rwadle5[OP] likes this.
  5. Sep 18, 2015 at 2:25 PM
    #5
    t4rwadle5

    t4rwadle5 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    That's the issue. The original threads on the forum showing the actual legal documents and patent design have since been deleted. As well as all evidence of the company created a faux account posing as an innocent public figure. The article on yahoo was written by Gobi's own pr/marketing firm, and the comment from Josh Whitson of Whitson Metalworks is assumed to be a written out by Gobi and ID2000 as well as that is the only response he has commented on the matter ever since the ruling. I'm assuming he can't say otherwise as that was not part of the settlement agreement. It is just sad that after everything occurred and how the situation unfolded they are doing a damn good job of cleaning up any trail of horrible business practice.
    In the deleted files there was a lawyers response to the matter, as well as an engineer, and no joke an actual rocket scientist dissecting the "patent" claim and the actual differences of the rack at hands. The main tip off was the historical legal cases the company has been involved with in patent infringement. It brought this to mind http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/441/when-patents-attack . Which is a direct correlation of patent trolling overflowing from the software industry sadly now into the off road industry.
     
  6. Sep 21, 2015 at 9:49 AM
    #6
    virginiamarine

    virginiamarine Well-Known Member

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    Don't know anything about legal issues here, but they have an awesome product. They were easy to work with also, but that was 4 years ago. They customized my setup for me knowing that I wanted to add a large light bar. Anyway, I recall that a couple of the other companies got into it about designs for a slider a couple years back....turned out that the design was very similar to one that was patented by Demello or someone like that....the end result was they were right and the other company stopped selling theirs. It was a stop and desist order or something I recall. It probably happens more than we know.
     
  7. Sep 21, 2015 at 9:54 AM
    #7
    t4rwadle5

    t4rwadle5 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Do you have anything on that. Because this most recent lawsuit Jason Demello personally stepped in and acknowledged the bad practice of Gobi. He said instead of threatening competition and penalizing them it gives his company more motivation for ingenuity.
    So it interesting that you say that?
     
  8. Sep 21, 2015 at 9:58 AM
    #8
    t4rwadle5

    t4rwadle5 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Holy CRAP they released the thread again. It was "deleted"?!
     
  9. Sep 21, 2015 at 9:58 AM
    #9
    ramonortiz55

    ramonortiz55 Not A Well-Known Member

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    whitson metalworks

    i was on the waiting list for a rack on my 3rd gen 4runner

    shame on gobi, what do they think? that theyre the only ones that can make a rack?
     
    t4rwadle5[OP] likes this.
  10. Sep 21, 2015 at 9:59 AM
    #10
    ramonortiz55

    ramonortiz55 Not A Well-Known Member

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  11. Sep 21, 2015 at 10:41 AM
    #11
    virginiamarine

    virginiamarine Well-Known Member

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    I stated what I know with my own experience and the timeframe. As far as demello goes....I said it was someone like that, but don't remember who exactly. That part means it's not fact or based on personal experience just what I read before on a forum. You asked for personal experience. I provided mine and can't say about whats going on right now. But, on a side note, I just purchased a rally bumper from Demello, so I know for a fact that they are pretty awesome!
     
    t4rwadle5[QUOTED][OP] likes this.
  12. Sep 21, 2015 at 11:26 AM
    #12
    JWaldz

    JWaldz It puts the Joe Dirt in the hole

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    Seriously?? Gonna call me out like that? Most the members here don't know the half of the situation. You T4R members don't know what goes on behind closed doors. I don't agree with Gobi's practices. I had my reasons and they didn't involve Gobi or WMW. Let it be.
     
    JimBeam likes this.
  13. Sep 21, 2015 at 11:30 AM
    #13
    t4rwadle5

    t4rwadle5 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    The purpose of this thread was not to incriminate you, it was posted as you previously requested not linking WMW. And for you to say no one knows half the situation I would argue that is due to thread was "closed". I posted here to bring awareness to the business practice and as my original post stated to see if anyone here had similar issues with Gobi. Nothing personal.
     
  14. Sep 21, 2015 at 11:35 AM
    #14
    JWaldz

    JWaldz It puts the Joe Dirt in the hole

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    Wadle, my response was directed towards dtaco as I don't appreciate being outed like that. Nothing against your thread here. FWIW, the thread's last removal was not my doing.
     
  15. Sep 21, 2015 at 11:50 AM
    #15
    JWaldz

    JWaldz It puts the Joe Dirt in the hole

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    My name gradually coming up and going out of your way to call me out are two different things. No one has even questioned the thread at this point.
     
  16. Sep 21, 2015 at 12:03 PM
    #16
    JWaldz

    JWaldz It puts the Joe Dirt in the hole

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  17. Sep 21, 2015 at 12:06 PM
    #17
    JimBeam

    JimBeam BECAUSE INTERNETS!! Moderator

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    Please don't bring drama from other sites to TW
     
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