True, but this type of pre-emptive press release could prevent a legal case from ever happening, i.e. the judge could look at it and throw it out immediately based on that evidence. Otherwise, it might have to become a court case and get examined just to get to the point of deciding whether or not PAWI / Rota is responsible. Keep in mind that even if a company is found to be innocent of whatever claim is brought against them, they still lose a lot of time and money in the process of getting dragged through the legal system.
This is a smart move on PAWI / Rota's part, in my opinion

 

Would they ultimately have to pay for any damages caused by the counterfeit? No.

Are they likely to get sued by someone who either doesn't know it isn't an actual Rota product, or someone who just wants to try to get money anyway they can (this is America..)? Very likely.

Even if it wouldn't stand up in court, each one of these charges would mean Rota would have to dedicate legal resources to each and every case just to go and get the charges thrown out. If you have any experience dealing with issues like these you would know it isn't cheap to clear your name, even if there is no reason you should've been sued in the first place.

 

^ It's like you read my post, then reiterated it more eloquently : )

 

I would argue that this press release won't prevent anyone from suing (especially those trying to get easy money), and therefore won't do much to save them legal costs.

I mean, obviously there will be some costs associated with any legal action, but it will take a minimal amount of time/cost for Rota to establish that they didn't produce the knockoffs.

Again, I see this as more of a PR move for Rota than a legal move. This isn't a binding contract, it's a press release. It doesn't prevent any future legal action...

 

waiting for the day Varrstoen does a press-release on their lineup..

 

i dont wanna see someone with a CE28n only paid 1500 and i paid 4K. and both called authentic. and nobody except me will know the difference between the 2.

ok, seen someone with Vars replicas, i can tell pple "Oh his wheels are replica" but seen someone with Authentic cast Volk! pple will say both authentic.

its better that Volk keep only producing Forged wheels, this is what make them unique. and what make their identity fancy.

 

Aren't you buying the authentic for the piece of mind that you have high quality forged wheels that you can trust on the track and street? If you are just buying wheels to show that your wheels cost half as much as your car, that is pretty pathetic.

 

^^^ sure am buying them for the peace of mind.. and other reason is to stand out from the crowd. its a good idea that Volk start producing Low Budget cast wheels but in new models/shapes.

its not fair for customers who paid allot to see the same wheels made from cast with no difference.

btw i didnt buy my wheels brand new. bought them used cause i wanted an authentic Volks for PEACE OF MIND, instead of spending almost the same amount on Brand new replicas.

 

Please stop saying PIECE.

 

who said piece

 

I was noticing that too. You said it correctly for the context, i.e. "peace of mind", while the other guy said "piece of mind" which would only be correct in the context of "...and I gave him a piece of my mind".

Annnnyway, since this thread was already veering way off-course from the beginning, a thought just occurred to me (and in the spirit of this thread, the following commentary is not directly relevant to the intent of the thread):
When people buy a set of crappy wheels at ~$150/ea for a winter setup, nobody bats an eyelash. Nobody criticizes. I'm thinking of brands like ASA that TireRack commonly sells with a winter wheel+tire package.
The ASA wheel might not be a knock-off of a RAYS/Work/BBS/etc. design, but I'll bet a week's worth of burritos that it's made from the same low-grade cast aluminum material as the notorious ROTA/Varrstoen/Miro/ et. al.

So I call BS on anyone crowing about material properties / structural integrity of a Rota wheel if they don't also criticize someone's choice in low-end, heavy, inexpensive cast wheels for their winter setup (which they are running ~1/3 of the time, if the climate is such to require winter tires in the first place).

My point is: this is all about ego, business practices and authentic vs. replica as far as design goes. I understand that part of it. But let's not get into a debate on the strength of Volk TE37 versus ROTA Grid unless we're going to also make everyone who buys a $500 set of 18" Sport Edition feel like their wheels are also going to explode if they run over a stubborn piece of rock salt.

EDIT- I feel I should add this disclaimer:
I currently own a set of Volk wheels, and owned two sets prior to that. I have also purchased a set of Rota wheels for my previous daily driver last year. The difference? The Volk wheels went on my 350z which, despite its now severely diminished market value, is still my pride and joy. Meanwhile the Rota wheels went on my daily driver Subaru which I really didn't care that much about. I wanted something that looked good, was inexpensive, acted as a mounting location for my tire, spun around its central axis and could handle the wear and tear of daily driving here in the suburbs. They performed as desired in that respect and I feel it was a worthwhile purchase.

I should also note that I used a Craftsman wrench to torque the lug nuts on my Rota wheels to the specified value. Should I have used a Snap-on wrench instead?

 

Torque wrench was invented before snap on, so the snap on would be a replica too.

LOL, I use a harbor freight torque wrench for wheels. Close enough for me, and I have a different torque wrench for engine building.

 

Not to get into a pissing match (you are a well-respected member here), but RAYS didn't invent the wheel either.

So running with the torque wrench example, we both agree that Snap-On did not invent the torque wrench. Obviously it was the brain child of Edward T. Orquewrench (he was German) in the year 1897. But let's say that Snap-On made a really nice torque wrench design that became the industry standard, preferred by 9 out of 10 professional mechanics. Never goes out of calibration, always reliable. Then let's say Harbor Freight comes along and puts out a torque wrench that looks, smells and feels very similar to the Snap-on wrench, but is one third the price. It becomes a popular choice amongst mechanics.
I'm sure you can imagine the debates that would be happening in the 'Torque Wrench' sub forum of the 'Hand Tool Enthusiast' discussion boards.

Oh and by the way, your lug nuts are going to vibrate loose because you only spent $20 on your torque wrench.

 

I'm sure there are debates already among professional mechanics. It would include harbor freight, snap on, craftsman and many others.

There would also be tool bashing if we wanted to start it on here. I'm sure some people would not want the finest Snap on or Mac wrenches to touch there car.

BTW, I use Snap on and Mac at work, Craftsman Professional in my home garage.

BTW, just having fun.

 

Me too

 

I want some fake Rotas..Would go well on my Scion XB..

 

I want the knock off of the counterfeit of the Rota wheel that is a replica Volk for my .............?

Only if it is made in the poorest of 3rd world countries and has little to no testing on it.

 

Rota and Konig made my dreams come true when I was in high school and couldn't afford Volk, Work, SSR or true JDM wheels since there was no real mass distributor here in the 90s. New JDM parts was almost always special order only.

 

overnight that ish from japan son! With 2 vtecs!

 

I actually did, SSR Schumachers for my Civic late senior year then Trust/Greddy sohc vtec turbo kit. lol