Buell/HD Send the Lawyers after Aussie Buell Website

[wb2007]

Buell/HD has sent lawyers after Australian website www.aussiebuellriders.info to cease using the name "Buell" in the domain name www.aussiebuellriders.info

apparently Buell/HD USA claim that the name buell used within the domain name is a breach of their trademark and as such have demanded via lawyers to have the name dropped from the domain name.

one must wonder what motivates HD/Buell to attack its own followers/community and what it hopes to achieve.

my advice to HD/Buell would be to not worry about their own supporters/community and go after the blatant infringements of trademark/copyright going on on eBay.

one wonders the fate of other sites like: www.buellitinboard.com and www.buellxb.com surely they will meet the same fate.

http://www.aussiebuellriders.info/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=351Link to website (http://www.aussiebuellriders.info/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=351)

[mezap]

I don't understand. Maybe HD fears some little potential liability/loophole concerning their product. You guys think letters to Harley would help them call the dogs off of the Aussie buellers, or do you think it would just serve to focus the attention on us instead? I can only imagine what those guys must be feeling right about now. Talk about a slap in the face...

[wb2007]

Well we are going to loose our Australian Buell Fan Site that we have worked years to establish. You can only assume that any site with the name "Buell" in the domain name is under threat.

Send your emails to Buell/Harley Davidson Australia:
h-daustralia@harley-davidson.com

or to Buell marketing:
laura.denissen@harley-davidson.com

Buell would have to be one of the only company's dumb enough to attack its on fan/community.[down] shame on them it all boils down to greed

[mezap]

tried to send a message to the australia address, but it didn't link up.
Will try the one here stateside.
I am so sorry to hear this wb2007. I don't get people. this kind of crap is the reason my social skills are deteriorating. The more I learn about people, the more time I try to spend on my motorcycle...ALONE

[wb2007]

yeah i think the HD australia address is no good. It came from the buell website today and does not work so that tells you a little bit about how much buell/hd want to hear from the consumer.

[wb2007]

we have the online petition now:

Online Save ABR Petition (http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/aussiebuellriders/)

[xoptimizedrsx]

i say if buell goes through with this and attacks the usa forums sales will slowly die and groups will die off then there sales will go down. and bike promotion will stop. who has ever been to the harley shop and ever herd now here is what you need from a salesman and they pointed to a buell. point taken. if they attack sites with the buell name in them who is going to sale the bikes. shure isnt harley shops 100% of the ones i goto only have them cause the have to carry them and sell so many to get there harley buell free promotion and buyer discounts they dont tell the public about. i have never had a shop tell me to try a buell. they push only harley. buell needs its own shops. with buell stuff on the walls it will sell if you can find it. thats the problem it out there but so scattered and hard to find its not selling to its potential. i say let the site live on. its free advertising and very helpfull. why kill a selling device thats free. who has been to a demo ride expeecting to be able to buy buell stuff. nope its a brochure and a demo ride. where is the merchindise i know it will fit in trailers or there is a place called ups it in so its ther to sell when you get there and take the unsold with you and restock with ups at the next stop.. its not hard. you need a road sales mgr i'll do it but not for free. i will improve sales but i would need supplies in able to sell. heck here in florida we have so many bike rallys buell could make a fortune and get promotion. only if they came with more than a brochure and a smile. people want to spend money and buy stuff. harley shops 99% dont have it there. so bring it post the info on each fourm its free and watch the people flock there to clean house on everything you brought. i would spend a few $100.00 there i know. ok my agervation is over sorry but sometimes its arghhhhh.

[mezap]

wb2007: What do you think about this name: AussieHondaRiders? Or maybe AussieSuzukiRiders? Of course, if you change the name you will have to change bikes. But I can tell you from personal experience that Honda has a good product. I don't know if they are given to this sort of petty bull****, but I'm willing to bet they are smart enough to know when they are getting free advertising...

[wb2007]

mezap we will probably just change to ABR and keep it at that.

Im thinking about moving to KTM and getting a superduke 990:)

[maybebuell]

harley dealers dont have to carry or sell buells.....most dealers stoped selling buells around my way....buell harley have nothing to do with each other

[wb2007]

i think most only sell buells so that they get discounts and favorable allocations of harleys from the factory

its a you sell these buell things and we will give you special treatment on the harley side.

[buellxb]

I would love to help aussiebuellriders. I need to get in contact with someone. I will surely suffer the same fate with Buellxb.com, so I am extremely interested in helping in any way possible. Please contact me at buellparts@yahoo.com for any assistance needed.

I looked at aussiebuellriders.info and it seems that the site promotes other naked sport bikes besides Buell. I'm willing to bet that's your problem. You can't use the Buell trade marked name to promote other naked sport bikes. The Main banner graphic isn't even a Buell. I've teamed up with a Local Harley Davidson dealership to promote their Buell motorcycle parts, and they've actually, legally purchased a Buell franchise. I basically run the forum and promote their products directly, so I might be safe. We'll see.

[mezap]

Very sharp buellxb. And your probably right on the money, or at least I hope so. I really like this forum, hope it doesn't go anywhere.

[07xb12r]

re:xoptimizedrsx....I hear ya bro, I've had to vent as well. It's hard to believe that their are so many hardcore Buell lovers, with so little resources. I was very fortunate to find a great dealership...finally. Just that statement alone is so sad. Their is just as much money to go around as the other companies customers spend...what is the problem with getting dealerships to understand that money coming in is good...no matter if its for a harley or Buell? Obviously the bikes are outstanding, the dealers have to be hearing and seeing all the requests when we go in...I want to spend my money,lol. I am so grateful I found a great dealership, but what of the rest of all the owners? the millionth bike just rolled off,right? That spells alot of bread in accesories, modifications, new sales ect. but where do you all go? And if some web site that PROMOTES your product makes a small,innocent mistake, whip out the lawers? Could have been just as easy to point out mistake and thanked for business and recommendations, and started to read the forums and attempt to fix the issues. YOU HAVE A GREAT PRODUCT MR. BUELL, WE LOVE IT AND WANT MORE, AND WE ARE WILLING TO PAY$$$. Am I missing something here? Seems to me that the share holders should be reading this and opening their own dealerships, or at the very least pick up a couple of us "passionate Buell owners" and give us a shot at the marketing problems and really start to make some money. Every site I have seen, has the same comments on this issue. Well, i'm done now...sorry everyone, just frustrated at all this. Thank you Uke's Harley/Buell of Wis. dont know what I would have done....Sell?

[wb2007]

Other naked bikes have only been brought in over the last few days before that we were 100% buell with a buell bike on the main banner. For 4 years we have been nothing but buell and "aussiebuellriders.info" was our home.

We promoted nothing but buell, we have only changed to bring in other naked bikes to get buell off our back.

If buell dont want us around well we are sure as hell not going to do them any favors.

we will still have a strong buell focus but their is alot of guys that are going to move to other brands as a result of HD and their blatant attack at their own customers. With other naked bikes now being supported on our site we can still maintain our friendships as people abandon the buell brand.

We are all good buddies and a small buell community here down under it wont take long for word to get around about HD/Buell and the contempt they have for loyal customers.

A brand with such poor backup, poor dealer after sales service, poor spare parts supply and contempt for its own supporters won't have much of a future down here in aussie land.

look in the dictionary under the term Sellouts and you will find Harley-Davidson:(

[wb2007]

Good news everyone, after our lobbying buell has let us use the name www.aussiebuellriders.info
i have a meeting next wee with exec's at HD australia to run through the legalities but it looks like HD are going to do a backflip on this one[up]

[v12tiger]

:D

[mezap]

Well done Harley!
wb2007: You plan to put the Buell's back in the main page? Sounds like they are trying to meet you half way bro.
Isin't peace an awesome sound? (Next to an XB12s grunting around a corner! lol)
Lets all join cyber hands and sing a verse of kumbaya!!:o

[bahamasair]

It was still a pussy move from Buell in the first place but good to hear they might let you use the name on the site.

[wb2007]

I still got to meet with them, and Buell is back in the main site banner:D

[brianjolly]

I would guess they have a problem with the VIP subscription part of the site. Using the Buell name to make money without copyright permission seems illegal to me.

[buellxb]

Hey wb2007. Would you be interested in exchanging links? I will add a link to www.aussiebuellriders.info on my homepage if you will do the same for www.buellxb.com.

[Argentum]

Lets add a few FACTS which the topic author has conveniently left out.

The real reason that HD/Buell commenced legal action against this site was because wb2007(site creator/admin.... aka WB) bought the buell.com.au domain name and re-directed it toward his site..... a site which was selling merchandise and is still charging a subscription fee for full site access. He was infringing on Buells intellectual property rights for commercial benefit which is illegal under Australian law.

HD/Buell had every right to do what they did. If they didn't, everyone would be leeching off their global marketing efforts.

The truth adds a fresh light on this subject and a little less sympathy from those who have been purposely misled by the author.

Don't worry guys, you're not the only ones that he's tried to mislead with this same story.

[XBear9S]

Thank you Argentum.

I'm not lookin' to make enemies,
but understand that if you use a company's name
and they don't say something about it,
they are condoning it.
If you're using a companies name to make money,
there will be legal ramifications sooner or later.

Buell's lawyers are just doing what they are paid to do-
protect their company's name and reputation.

There's nothing stopping me from creating a porn site called BuellSuckers.com.
Nothing except a paid group of lawyers who will drop me a
frank and demanding letter telling me to stop.
The law protects them and their demand is understandable.
At the end of the day, they win.

Now aussiebuellriders.info certainly isn't corrupt in this way.
They seem to be a fine Buell website indeed!
But its all the same in the end.
Buell cannot/will not accept the use of their name on a site they
have no control or ownership in.
It isn't good business.

Even when our local group was working to come up with a BRAG name
and trying to register it as a local chapter,
the name "Hellbuellies" wasn't acceptable b/c of the use of Buell in it.
It sux, but it is what it is.
We are left alone b/c we don't sell merchandise or charge fees.
There's no monies being made off Buell's good name.

But if we aren't careful, they will do the same to us.
As for now, I understand that we are monitored regularly,
and they enjoy what we're doing here in Austin, TX.

I hope WB can come up w/an acceptable domain name.
Once the bitterness is over, I hope they persevere.
the site badweatherbikers.com is one of the best Buell sites out there,
they managed to skirt the legal issues.
Also, americansportbike.com has been successful.
It can be done.

Good luck to them (WB)!

Robtk!42 a.k.a. "Specialk!"


"I'd rather be riding my motorcycle thinking about God than sitting in
church thinking about my motorcycle..."
--The Holy HellBuelly

[lighting]

You have to understand that Harley dealers make their money selling accesories(junk) and since Buell have a limited accesories selection and Buell owners are more resourceful they don't profit that much so they push were the money is at. Just think how much loot people drop in parts and labor to change good working parts and replace them with chrome made in China that will either rust or pill quickly so they can sell another one, it's all a gimmick.