As it turns out, all those cool looking hands-free Segway's that are on the market are actually copyright infringed knockoffs of another manufacturer. According to a few well sourced articles, Hovertrax is the original owner of the patent for this type of transportation device. There are quite a few other patents that this manufacturer has claimed as well as a few that are pending, however the original concept and design is said to be long to Inventist and partner Mark Cuban.
In an article and video that was posted on TMZ a few week back, states that mark is looking to target all of the other manufacturers who are technically biting their design. Brands such as Iowa hawk are defending these claims, stating that their design is different and that they should not have problems with this grievance.
In an article and video that was posted on TMZ a few week back, states that mark is looking to target all of the other manufacturers who are technically biting their design. Brands such as Iowa hawk are defending these claims, stating that their design is different and that they should not have problems with this grievance.
The interesting thing is that when I was first introduced to these boards I thought that the original manufacturer's were IO Hawk and Phunkeeduck. At the end of the day, these hover-board scooter devices do all look similar in design with a few slight modifications. However, Mark wants to put a stop to that.
The biggest question I have though, is how Mark is actually going to stop all the different Asian manufacturers from making these boards. With almost anything electronic it becomes popular, you can pretty much expect there to be a knock off version of it somewhere. Whether in China, India or anywhere International. Someone is going to make a version that is a replica to try and make some money.
For instance, take Beats by Dre headphones. There are so many different places online that sell cheap knock off models that don't sound anywhere near as nice. Although, there's pretty much no way that Dr Dre, Jimmy Iovine or Apple can really stop them from making these cheaper alternatives. To be honest, it would be very interesting to see if Mark Cuban and inventors are able to pull this off.
For more information, please visit the following links.
HoverTrax - Kickstarter Campaign
Investist Homepage
The biggest question I have though, is how Mark is actually going to stop all the different Asian manufacturers from making these boards. With almost anything electronic it becomes popular, you can pretty much expect there to be a knock off version of it somewhere. Whether in China, India or anywhere International. Someone is going to make a version that is a replica to try and make some money.
For instance, take Beats by Dre headphones. There are so many different places online that sell cheap knock off models that don't sound anywhere near as nice. Although, there's pretty much no way that Dr Dre, Jimmy Iovine or Apple can really stop them from making these cheaper alternatives. To be honest, it would be very interesting to see if Mark Cuban and inventors are able to pull this off.
For more information, please visit the following links.
HoverTrax - Kickstarter Campaign
Investist Homepage