Bizarre logo coincidence? Rich Energy and Whyte Bikes

Just caught up with recent Rich Energy tweets. What a mess. Liking some of the memes 🙂

Enjoying a can of @lynx
Pure fragrance & Premium ingredients for perfectionists in smell#premium #britishbrand #monaco pic.twitter.com/qwjhb78GTI

— ｎｏａｈ (@inoahguy___) June 16, 2019

So Rich is now going on about they’ve now trademarked the logo, so Whyte is going to lose it. But AFAIK trademarks only apply in a particular market, so unless Whyte is making energy drinks, what trademarks Rich hold is irrelevant to Whyte?

Also, logos (unless very elaborate) are rarely copyrighted, but common sense applies. Why would you want your company emblem to look like anybody elses? Until this all kicked off, I thought Haas had a cool retro JPS thing going on, and was pleased Whyte had their logo on the car. Their energy drink didn’t cross my mind.

So Rich is now going on about they’ve now trademarked the logo, so Whyte is going to lose it.

Well good luck to them with that one. From reading the Court judgement (which is fascinating in a kind of slow-mo car-crash kind of way: BTW, I would love to know how RE think they can appeal that judgement) it would appear that they have knowingly copied the logo. I’m pretty certain that you can’t trademark something that you have copied and therefore don’t hold the copyright on, certainly not in the UK and EU.

Interesting problem that RE will have, even if they can use the logo in other markets, they cant have it transmitted on TV in the UK. AFAIK they cant have it on the cars if they want to show this on TV in the UK as this will breach UK copyright law. As F1 is televised worldwide this could be an issue: cue pixelated Haas F1 cars every other Sunday on tv .

Definitely one to file under “how not to run a brand”

Definitely one to file under “how not to run a brand”

It’s an odd business model, build up a rep and a name on a product nobody can actually buy and then presumably sell this to someone who’ll actually use it to sell a drink. Goes a bit Pete tong if your whole marketing strategy has to be scrubbed because you copied the logo!

Yup, if Whyte can prevent the use of the logo in the UK (which they can unless the copyright judgment is overturned) then they can block any application to register it as a trade mark (for any goods or services) either in the UK or (until Brexit) at the EUIPO, and succesfully challenge any marks already granted. Whyte would be unlikely to be infringing a mark for drinks by making bikes in any event, but probably they make branded clothing just as Rich do, so that would be the problem.

In all probability, Whyte would also be able to use their copyright to block applications for trade marks including the logo in other places, certainly in other EU states and at the EUipo post-Brexit. But they will have a little more freedom to run other arguments outside the UK.

What Rich should do is re-launch under the name WHYTE ENERGY. They’d be in with a good chance of registering that.

https://sniffpetrol.com/2019/06/17/rich-energy-brainstorms-replacement-logo/

“unbuyable palpitation piss”

😂

mashr

Member

https://sniffpetrol.com/2019/06/17/rich-energy-brainstorms-replacement-logo/

Love the little added spiky bit on the logos 😁

Hadn’t noticed that. Nice work there. 👏🏻

Sniffpetrol. I’d forgotten about that place. Quality site for a confcall meander.

@rich_energy created logo & registered it 4 years ago around the world. We own ALL trademarks.2 YEARS later a company @WhyteBikes who admitted they knew about us previously & who had no mark outrageously demanded money. We are confident of vindication

what are they implying here? Whyte have been around since 1999, are they saying because Whyte didn’t take them to court instantly then they should be able to use the logo?

I note that the judge commended Whyte in their preparedness, and slated RE for lack of it. wonder how long it took Whyte/RE to prepare?

Someone really doesn’t like em https://mobile.twitter.com/fakerichenergy1

wonder how long it took Whyte/RE to prepare?

Whyte – probably a couple of days
RE – probably on the bus on the way down

How do those allegations of no history in F1 look now? 😁Whyte bikes tweet from 2014

It’s like someone is trying out a script for a really crap Netflix series.  It’s difficult to imagine it getting any more strange

It’s not just politics where the realityis stranger than fiction!
Has anyone noted that a combination of his name and the company’s is Rich Storey?

I do wonder if it’s some KLF-esque performance art piece.

I'm pretty sure @redbull @redbullracing and @MonsterEnergy are having a bit of a laugh at the moment. 😉 pic.twitter.com/aBQSA6FU8i

— #MsportXtra (@MsportXtra) June 18, 2019

😁

It’s just occurred to me, there’s a whole sick bike thread where people question where has the money gone. And a Rich energy thread where people are questioning where the money has come from? Is it just a coincidence I can’t be bothered to go back through both threads to check if that’s an original idea. Just needs a photo of the sick guys, Mr Storey and Jimmy Savile riding a Gnarcacist. Makes you think.

And CFH, as an international jetsetting paperclip salesman, surely know how important and influential the “dutch parents on Twitter who feed their kids energy drinks” demographic is?

I have a more than passing interest in the possible money laundering/corruption angle of RE. If thats what it is, of course…

(It’s clearly something. Either ineptitude or financial crime, at this point)

I have a more than passing interest in the possible money laundering/corruption angle of RE. If thats what it is, of course…

Be a lot of paper clips to hold together the paperwork for all that, I imagine?

Something like that, Tom.

It pays the bills, anyway…

😎

And Daddy NEEDS a new pair of shoes…

It’s an odd business model, build up a rep and a name on a product nobody can actually buy and then presumably sell this to someone who’ll actually use it to sell a drink. Goes a bit Pete tong if your whole marketing strategy has to be scrubbed because you copied the logo!

On the other hand… I don’t watch or follow F1 in any way, so the chances of me hearing about Rich Energy if they’d gone about this in the conventionally sensible way are very slim. Now that there’s some controversy surrounding the brand, I have heard of them.

I have a more than passing interest in the possible money laundering/corruption angle of RE

The money laundering angle seems somewhat odd. Surely the idea when laundering money is to try and keep it quiet? Sponsoring a F1 team and getting lots of bad publicity seems the sort of approach that would get some investigators curious and tempted to have a poke around.
Admittedly my knowledge of money laundering ends at the annual mandatory training telling me its illegal and how to spot and report it.

(It’s clearly something. Either ineptitude or financial crime, at this point)

But for money laundering although there may be a transfer and concealment there doesn’t seem to be a washed product at the end. You will struggle to show monies running through the company and then being funnelled to “investors “ arise from sales as the sales aspect seems to have been fairly comprehensively disproved. The only person seemingly enjoying the spoils is that tramp with the beard.

All I know is, it’s odd. There’s money going somewhere (the sponsorship payment) with no apparent source…

There are tales of millionaires being involved, but it’s all rather tangential and shady.

Most definitely.

Still think it’s a ‘brand’ someone’s devised and by this time next year it’ll be sold to a private equity firm and there’ll be cans in the supermarkets.

When you’ve got zero brand awareness and a mass market product the sponsorship must payback quite well.

E.g. everyone who wants sky, already has it so why sponsor a cycling team. Hardly anyone has enough money, so what the point of Investeq sponsring an f1 team. But the whole world will drink fizzy pop, so the brand can go from zero to huge.

And with the exception of a few forums and a handfull of twitter posts who will talk about Whyte bikes. As far as PR goes there’s probably Millon’s of F1 fans who will shrug and wonder why the logo changes for every one who knows of Whyte and maybe doesn’t buy it in principal.

Liking Richard Meaden’s reply on this post…

You couldn’t make it up! pic.twitter.com/CHO9nwmdmr

— chris harris (@harrismonkey) June 19, 2019

Just needs a photo of the sick guys, Mr Storey and Jimmy Savile riding a Gnarcacist. Makes you think.

I reckon there’s more chance of somebody resurrecting Saville, Weekend at Bernie’s 2 style, then there is of finding a Sick bike for anyone to ride.

As a happy chappy I whistled my way to our garage. This is going to be our weekend! The sun was shining and everything looked good until… I was confronted with this here… ? I spontaneously suffered a **** depression. Somebody give me a **** rope!#CanadianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/x1iBAWPyz9

— Günther Steiner ? (@BanterSteiner) June 7, 2019

I know bugger all about F1 since it got all silly but thoroughly enjoyed the Netflix documentary and particularly Steiner. That bantersteiner twitter account is brill (yeah I get it’s a parody but you know it’s what’ll be going on in his head). Thanks for posting.

Great, isn’t it?

Because Rich Energy is going to win the stag logo law suit they asked us to take the logo off our car. Maybe I need a **** drink to understand that one but hey, it makes the car lighter and therefore faster. Just feel sorry for K-Stag. He seems so **** sad!#CanadianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/llZ9MhZrzQ

— Günther Steiner ? (@BanterSteiner) June 7, 2019

Walked past him this morning, was having a proper old moan to his wannabe bearded hipster mate.

They stepped out of a crappy Toyota Yaris on a crappy side street in my hood. I just wasn’t getting the Monaco vibe….

“I’ve been working to the bone this week” he loudly proclaimed. He’s known to speak loudly…. I’ve known of him for years in my neighbourhood. Bank of Dad and all that.

They stepped out of a crappy Toyota Yaris on a crappy side street in my hood. I just wasn’t getting the Monaco vibe….

Frustrating thing is out of me, you, him and almost everyone else on here, only one of us is hanging out on boats in Monaco, pit lanes around the world and all the other trappings of the F1 sponsor caravan. I don’t doubt that the house of cards will tumble at some point but we’re unwitting pawns in what is clearly a marketing game and I can’t imagine the beardy guy will have any regrets.

K-Stag! 😁

Don’t give a FF what happens to Rich really, just hoping Whyte isn’t disadvantaged or end up out of pocket.

Scuttler

Member
They stepped out of a crappy Toyota Yaris on a crappy side street in my hood. I just wasn’t getting the Monaco vibe….

Frustrating thing is out of me, you, him and almost everyone else on here, only one of us is hanging out on boats in Monaco, pit lanes around the world and all the other trappings of the F1 sponsor caravan. I don’t doubt that the house of cards will tumble at some point but we’re unwitting pawns in what is clearly a marketing game and I can’t imagine the beardy guy will have any regrets.

Indeed, but guessing he won’t get an invite to this weekends shindig at Paul Recard? Or will he be heading over with some hot soapy water and vinegar to remove some logos.

Ideal weekend to launch a new brand of unbuyable pastis, surely?

Ideal weekend to launch a new brand of unbuyable pastis, surely?

Is the world ready for a pastie you can’t buy?

Searching for Pasty fail returns some rather odd images, I must say.