CH4x4 Ripped My Design

Hey folks!

Just wanted to make a clarification post. It looks like CH4x4 has ripped off my daisy chain harness design:
https://www.ch4x4.com/product/ch4x4-daisy-chain-harness-for-toyota-push-style-switches/

I just wanted to make it super clear in the case you purchase from them thinking it’s a harness I produce. My vendors remain:
Cali Raised LED
Guild Outfitters
R4T
TacomaBeast
Taco Garage

You can also get them straight from me (although currently on backorder). Thanks to the hundreds (at this point I think thousands) of people that have purchased from me or one of my vendors. It was only a matter of time before they ripped it. Any questions don’t hesitate to reach out.

 

I just got an email from them about these

 

Glad I ordered mine from Cali Raised. Had no idea they were made by a TW member!

 

From the very beginning I’ve been making those for about a year and a half. It started as a side hustle and now I have about 15 different designs and it’s a formal business. Thanks for your support!

 

Is there anything legally that makes it your design?

 

DUDE! I saw that on my email blast this morning. I was looking at them closely and thought "Shit, those are identical to Kyle's!" I was wondering and sort of hoping you might have hooked with them but obviously, you didn't! F'ing CHYNA

 

It’s good to know which one made by you, that makes a difference.
Are you going to patent your design? A guy I know had a great design for a motorcycle product he designed, manufactured, and began to sell. Someone else copied and began to distribute it, filed for a patent, then sent him a cease and desist. He didn’t want to go through the patent process and eventually lost control of a design he came up with.

 

We could make a trade secret case… but meh. My partner is an attorney and I don’t want her tied up in crap like that. We had the discussion about potential rip offs when I formed the business and came to the conclusion that you just have to keep making relevant stuff and move on. The main point of the post is just to clarify I’m not their producer.

 

yep not a legal expert but i typically take my grandfathers stance on suing people and default to not waste any of my life in a courthouse.

 

Glad I found you directly on here. I'd rather wait the backorder time knowing all profits are going straight to you!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB-PRuHxbOs

 

Having been through the patent process several times I’m doubtful you could patent the daisy chain harness. While it’s cool it’s not exactly a new invention/novel idea. It’s just a few Toyota plugs and wires put together in a clever combination.

It’s not like car or electronics companies patent every new wiring harness they design. There is plenty of prior art out there.

It wouldn’t be worth the hassle or expense to just get a rejection.

Still sucks they ripped off your design though!

 

The chinese have zero respect for intellectual property. There is some scumbag whose job it is to find anything popular and immediately copy it, not to mention the whole after hours second press of anything and everything at factories. Ever been to canal street or online at dhgate?

They will clone something as cheaply as possible, lie about the specs and ratings with zero consequence, and gladly sell them at a discount to anyone. This is the whole business model of places like “rhymes with arbor gate”. Then the sucker buyer will wonder why his car explodes or a catastrophic failure occurs.

oh the company is out of florida with a PO box as address, big surprise said no one ever.

Unregulated capitalism at its finest. Good luck OP glad to support you

 

When you have a good product or idea, getting ripped off is inevitable. The only thing you can do, which they can't, is provide superior customer service and product quality. Having bought this harness from you, I can attest that you provide both. I'll continue to support you and will promote others supporting you as well. Carry on and the TW family will help as much as we can.

Thanks for letting us know!

 

Tough break but it looks like you still have a loyal following! I've been down the patent road myself. A patent does 3 things for you......

1. It provides you a license to spend the rest of your life in court.
2. The application process lightens your wallet.
3. It shows anyone who has no respect for intellectual property exactly how to copy your product.

 

when will your daisy chains and break out harnesses be available again? Ski

 

Next week! I am out of town this week but I got a notification that materials have been delivered. So I’ll be setting aside a couple of days next week to fill all of my back orders and get them out the door.

 

Chinese engineers are pretty laughable. Mostly just steal others designs. The best of them have the skills and abilities of what would be considered a mediocre technician here.

Whenever we prepare for a build in China we do the proto builds in Singapore where we train the Singaporean engineers who ultimately manage the Chinese engineers because they’re damn near useless but have to be involved in the chinese factories.

I can’t imagine going through the patent process as an individual. I have a few friends that have done it but it seems like a huge pain in the ass. You really need a patent lawyer to write a good application for you. Im glad to work somewhere with a dedicated legal team that deals with all that.

Most large companies whole method to get around IP is to keep it in court for decades and bleed the little guy until he gives up or sells the rights.

 

Though I’m sure the harnesses are produced overseas, I’m sure the company that made the request (CH4x4) is state side. I think the thing that’s most irritating is that they didn’t even change the name and they used my product descriptions. It’s a blatant rip off — not someone posing to have changed or improved the design. It’s a literal copy-paste of everything. Just look at the wording of their product.