Why are freeview not protecting their IP?

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richms

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#55135 24-Dec-2009 01:54

There are plenty of chinese crap recivers being sold on trademe as freeview recivers.

Clearly to any one competent they are not, but the lay person may not know the difference, as evidenced by the recent thread with some crap boxes not working properly on the posters TV, and having poor output quality.

Many of the cheap tradme ones only have composite output on them, and fail to have proper aspect ratio options, and none have the freeview MHEG guide.

Twice I have had someone I know tell me they have bought a freeview box and needed help setting it up, and when I get there its some piece of budget crap that they thought was a freeview box because of the sellers passing off with the freeview trademark in their sales material.

The freeviewnz.tv site says that the logo is copyright, but it makes no mention of any other IP protection on the brand or the logo so can someone from freeview please clarify what IP they hold, and if they are intending on using the name freeview as a trademark why they are doing nothing to stop people pedding fresh of the boat generic satillite recivers as a freeview reciever?

Richard rich.ms

kontonnz

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#284944 24-Dec-2009 06:59

this is not really an IP issue; this is more of a consumer/fair trading issue, where someone buys something expecting it to be X as advertised and finding out it is really Y.

As frustrating as it must surely be, if the "freeview box" is acquired via trademe then complain via trademe or feedback (if that ever truly works), and if push comes to shove their is always the disputes tribunal. But this also depends on the wording of how the box is advertised I guess, this is important as auctions if I remember correctly are not covered via consumers guarantees act, but the goods must still be as advertised.

But as for the term "freeview" I don't think that might be protected by any IP law as it is a rather generic term and used world wide, and i am prepared to make a bet the auctions don't have the 'logo" displayed they just use the term freeview

spk18

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#284960 24-Dec-2009 09:29

Freeview has a number of registered trademarks - see www.iponz.govt.nz.

As always the issue with IP is the cost and hassle of enforcement...

Deev8

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#284988 24-Dec-2009 12:05

richms: There are plenty of chinese crap recivers being sold on trademe as freeview recivers.

If they are capable of receiving Freeview then most of us would accept that they are indeed Freeview receivers. If they are advertised as Freeview-approved when they are not, then that is a real issue.

On the other hand, it's quite possible for an excellent receiver to lack Freeview approval. In fact approval requires the manufacturer to restrict some functionality that a lot of consumers would find valuable.

Ragnor

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#285085 25-Dec-2009 01:14

To be the devils advocate here..

I think it would probably be a waste of time, resources and effort. There's no way they can make a dent in the listings. Should Freeview hire 2,5... 10 people full time to read trademe and report misleading listings... I don't think so.

The people who mistakenly buy obvious knockoffs/poor imatiation should probably HTFU and will have probably learnt the valuable life lessons of: "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is" and my other favourite: "a fool and his money are easily parted"...

Presumably they won't make the same mistake a second time.

allstarnz

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#285350 27-Dec-2009 00:05

Freeview capable and Freeview approved are two entirely different things. Perhaps that is what needs to be differentiated. As has been stated, there is lots of excellent hardware out there that is Freeview (terrestrial and satellite) capable, but for whatever reason isn't approved.