When you think about it carefully, who will buy chinese 12k cars etc? Young kids with little money to spend.. Do we want that demographic driving unsafe vehicles? I hope that a minimum ancap rating is incorporated into compliancing a vehicle for sale here. The new age barina shouldnt be on aussie roads! 2star safety?? It should be illegal…. Money should only govern so much..

There are a few small cars out there, like the Fiat 500, Ford Ka and Nissan Micra that all look different, but aim for the same basic target.

Having said that, the Smart is unique in its size and packaging and if you want to make a car that is just as small and still usable, how much different could you possibly make it?

The courts will have to decide on rational arguments not purely on emotions or subjective assessments. However, part of the ruling will no doubt include public perception which makes me think the Chinese Bubble is about to be burst.

There are so many similarities: Doors, Side Window, Door Handles, B & C Pillars, Two Tone paint, Side Sills, Roof Profile, Wheel arches!! And this is only what we can see from the surface!!
The main difference between the Smart and the Chinese rubbish is the smart has more of a Cab-Forward design and is probably a lot safer.

And do you think teh Chinese car will pass the Moose Test??
Doubt it!!

Chinas economy will be in denial just like Americas has been for the last 6 years!

Anyway in regard to the lawsuit yep I agree ……..!May just be a win win for us!

Regardless which side wins the lawsuit, I think it is not a bad thing for both sides. If Daimler wins, then the result of the lawsuit will have a profound effect on Chinese car manufacturers. The Chinese will learn a lesson, as a result, they will start taking IP seriously, and start investing, creating and improving their products. If the Chinese car manufacturer wins, then it shows that Chinese manufactures start thinking globally. Consumers are the ultimate beneficiaries of a legal competition.

Andrew said ” For the record, from what I know of Australian intellectual property law, in Australia if the equivalent litigation proceeded then it would very likely fail.” Wrong not by my accounts in defending our products in Australia against copies.The passing off law is determined by the general public perception in the copy looking like the original! We won our case so I imagine if in Australia Daimler would too! Design registration is something totally different! Im not saying that the copy won’t end up being sold in Europe but it will be under Daimlers watchful eye determining what changes would be needed to be made before it could be sold! Normally it is the most money spent on lawyers that also determines a win! We all know that the Chinese wouldn’t want to spend money defending something they may lose anyway! Lets just see how the case goes ha!!

I would think Daimler wouldn’t be receiving money from the law suit Andrew it will cost them too defend …….BIG BUCKS!!

China has a current account surplus of like 7% so I don’t know where you’re getting your facts from.

Why is this discussion about China anyway? Daimler are suing a company for importing Shuanghuan automobiles. Learn to distinguish between a country/government and a company.

For the record, from what I know of Australian intellectual property law, in Australia if the equivalent litigation proceeded then it would very likely fail.

I wouldn’t count on Chinas economy Stephen …..there are spending more than they as a Country are earning…..buildings and Cities are booming with growth but it seems the Government are running out of money!! With every boom there is a bust believe, me its coming soon! Over the last few weeks the banks have stopped people taking money out of their accounts in China..more than likely so the Government can prop up some venture…..like the Olympics!

So how’s the beach? Was it relaxing for you? A nice sunny afternoon isn’t it? Can you even swim mate?

LMFAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I’m gonna grab have another beer and relax, its nice to have a comedian to laugh at on a Sunday afternoon, so thank you for your performance, it’s been very entertaining.

Cheers!

On the other hand, is there any ruling concerning this ‘Bubble’ Car? If the court rules in favour of Daimler, then you have the legal ground to accuse the Chinese. But the court rules in favour of the Chinese car manufacturer, then how do you gain your so-called ‘moral ground’? You have the absolute right to express your opinion. It is easy to make accusation. But before knowing the court’s ruling, your accusation is simply your perception and personal views, without any legal support.

To Momo and ‘Missile’, if you think the Chinese is copying your products, why don’t you launch a lawsuit against the Chinese manufacturer in Australia and China, just like Daimler, and preventing them to do that? If your company wins, then you will have 100% moral and legal support. I am not defending piracy, please do not make another false accusation here. What I want to say here is, if you want to get the upper hand, you got to stand up and fight. Let the court and law decide. If you cannot cope with the situation and face the challenge, then just go away. It is simply useless and not wise to keep bashing products made by foreign countries, without any legal ground. It only makes you sound like a loser.

By the way, have you guys known the test result of this ‘Bubble’ car? If no, saying the car a ‘crap’ is another groundless accusation. Quoting a Hyundai marketing manager, it is ‘perception’, rather than ‘reality’. Whether you like it or not, the world is still going to China for their supplies. One of the proofs is that now China has $1.3 trillion foreign reserve, the world’s largest. Most of the money is earned from manufacturing export.

Very Chinese like LMAO!!!

His diversion into talking about Chinese ballistic missiles is not a joke because it was completely irrelevant and supports no valid arguments to speak of. It was more about a show of brute force in the absence of the ability to claim moral high ground in a debate. A bullying tactic that reflects a deeper sense of inferior complex.

The Chinese knows exactly what copying is, funny in fact Steven admitted China is the Devil to deal with, a freudian slip?. All Steven is defending at the end of the day, is the excuse for China to keep raping and selling foreign IP for making money. No Steven, you have failed to make a single valid point other than that.

A bit windy here in Perth to go to the beach…..may wash the cars and watch a DVD!! I couldn’t surf if I tried…..no balance or coordination!!

Time for me to go surfing, wouldn’t you guys like a relaxing moment at beach? Cheers.

FRANKFURT (XFN-ASIA) – German auto makers DaimlerChrysler and BMW have threatened legal action against Chinese rivals which they accuse of making copies of their own models, the Financial Times reported.

DaimlerChrysler (nyse: DCX – news – people ) said it would consider unspecified legal action if Chinese manufacturer Shuanghuan Automobile showed its Noble (nyse: NE – news – people ), which the German group says resembles its Smart Fortwo, at next month’s Frankfurt motor show.

‘We take intellectual property protection very seriously,’ a DaimlerChrysler spokesman said.

‘We decided to reserve the right to pursue legal action.’

The London-based newspaper illustrated its story with pictures of the two models, which showed the Noble looking extremely similar in shape and design to the micro-sized Smart vehicle.

BMW also said it was considering legal action against the importer of another Shuanghuan car — the CEO — which BMW claims resembles a previous version of its X5 sports utility vehicle which was discontinued in 2006.

Steven how many other car manufactures in the world fight another on copying their product…….I can’t think of one except for the Chinese!