In the news; BBS goes bankrupt [again]

[Han]

So as long as they copy them in quality fashion... it's cool?

That's a big IF they actually did that. Who honestly knows what that "BBS" wheel is? Could just be X wheel with a BBS sticker/stamp thing. And even if it was true, why hasn't BBS taken legal action against CCW?

[runningpanda]

So as long as they copy them in quality fashion... it's cool?

[Han]

^^ hahaha thats awesome, didnt even know and goes to show how un needed this thread is... they copied bbs, made it look just as good if not better, AND got soo much more buyers

If CCW actually "copied" BBS, the problem is, CCW actually made them splits and as good as quality as BBS wheels and the costs reflect that. They didn't go 'hey, I like these wheels, let's make a replica wheel, make them 1 piece cast with fake bolts and sell them for $199 each!!!!'

[Rally]

* buys plane ticket to the US to acquire gun to shoot myself *

If you're gonna be in the US we might as well hang out first

[J.Wolfe]

^^ hahaha thats awesome, didnt even know and goes to show how un needed this thread is... they copied bbs, made it look just as good if not better, AND got soo much more buyers

[Han]

[Oxer]

omg....

I own reps!?


* buys plane ticket to the US to acquire gun to shoot myself *

[Rally]

side note. first brand to make a legit rep of ccw's will be mans next best friend hahah

Want to really mess with your concept of what is "real"?

Check out these old BBS motorsport wheels....Familiar?

(I'm entirely poking fun at this point. CCW's are sick, high quality wheels and I'd run them any day of the year.)

[01lexpl]

exactly. i was ready for these ridiculous posts on how reps are causing this, and found it in the very first post. if you actually think that because a bunch of shitty reps are putting a company this large in this situation, you are sadly mistaken.

I was trying to get the thread going... My view is if you have the means buy the BBS' then do so.

The way i see it is that originality is finite and has reached its climax. All companies are copying others. [ie. apple iPod vs. all those CHIpods that are out] I mean, how unique can designs get?

You can't manufacture a flat faced 7-spoke rim without stepping on someone else's toes since at least one other firm made an exact/close looking set.

Mesh wheels
3-4-5-6-7-8...130 spoke wheels
split wheels
...

In retrospect,should EVERY after market wheel company that has emerged after 1970 be paying BBS reparations?
What about Mackin industries? Should they be getting money as well since Rota copies 98% of their shit?

Each company puts a spin on it. If they use lower grade materials, sure = cheaper *similar* looking wheels with different and not ideal specs for many wheel whores.

I'd love a set of super RS, but they be pricey.

[Oxer]

CCW's are already cheap.

[J.Wolfe]

^truth, people dont see that very well lol. ROTA-the death to us alllllllll

side note. first brand to make a legit rep of ccw's will be mans next best friend hahah

[NegativeCamber]

exactly what Andrew said. i was ready for these ridiculous posts on how reps are causing this, and found it in the very first post. if you actually think that because a bunch of shitty reps are putting a company this large in this situation, you are sadly mistaken.

Realistically speaking this probably has very very little to do with replica wheels and it'd be great if this didn't become another one of those threads. BBS probably makes 95% of their money manufacturing OEM wheels for various car companies. Their aftermarket, while respected, probably isn't their main money maker. The fact that LM sales might be down a few percentage points due to reps (generous figure) would probably have very little effect on a company that large declaring bankruptcy.

Blaming this on replica wheels is silly IMO. I still don't agree with replica wheels and there is proof that it damages brand identity....but it's nowhere near strong enough to bring down a company of this size. If you want to lay blame on something, point fingers at the economic issues we've been having. It's hurting car companies which in turn hurts the company that manufactures many of the OEM wheel options.

/END REPLICA DISCUSSION

[runningpanda]

I gotcha. Well for their sake, I hope they begin to take legal action. Or do what AC Schnitzer is doing. I like that plan.

[Han]

Quite a few do. A year or two back BBS approached a replica company for producing one of the first few replica LM's on the scene (before the Rota reps). They quickly disappeared off the market.

Copyright infringement lawsuits can take quite a bit of time and money, so we may not notice it going on behind the scenes. And in many cases, replica wheel companies are foreign to the original manufacturers which makes legal actions much much harder to pursue due to the different copyright laws between countries.

Although they came back as Miro and now makes a ton of different reps that sell like hotcakes.

[Rally]

So why aren't the real companies suing the fake wheel companies for these "immoral copyright issues" and "stolen designs"?

Quite a few do. A year or two back BBS approached a replica company for producing one of the first few replica LM's on the scene (before the Rota reps). They quickly disappeared off the market.

Copyright infringement lawsuits can take quite a bit of time and money, so we may not notice it going on behind the scenes. And in many cases, replica wheel companies are foreign to the original manufacturers which makes legal actions much much harder to pursue due to the different copyright laws between countries.