ARLA/CLUSTER: 30K USD de multimetros chinocas destruidos por serem amarelos!!!

[João Condeço]

Sparkfun, a hobbyist electronics retailer, recently received a letter from
U.S. Customs saying a shipment of 2,000 multimeters was being barred from
entry into the country <https://www.sparkfun.com/news/1428>.

The reason? Trademark law. A company named Fluke holds a trademark on
multimeters<http://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=75934005&caseType=SERIAL_NO&searchType=statusSearch>
 that have a 'contrasting yellow border.' Sparkfun's multimeters are a
yellowish[image:
5-in1-multimeter]<http://hamgear.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/5-in1-multimeter.jpg>orange,
but it was enough for Customs to stop the shipment. Returning the shipment
is not an option because of import taxes in China, so the multimeters must
now be destroyed.

At $15 per item, it'll cost Sparkfun $30,000, plus the $150/hr fee for
destroying them. Sparkfun had no idea about the trademark, and doesn't mind
changing the color, but they say restrictions like these are a flaw in the
trademark system. "Small business does not have the resources to stay
abreast of all trademarks for all the products they don't carry. If you're
going to put the onus on the little guy to avoid infringing IP then you
shouldn't need an army of consultants or attorneys to find this
information."


http://hamgear.wordpress.com/2014/03/20/what-yellow-multimeters-destroy-them/


73's

João Condeço

CT2HPM/D2CT
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