Ferrari corporate forcing Rob to shut down F-chat...

are trying to push the people here over to FerrariWorld.com where they have the a very similar setup, along with a pay section for those who want exclusivity. Ferrari themselves are getting smart and it's all about competition...

BTW a buddy of mine, Mike Diperno in Montreal (Founder of Interstar Technologies), actually owns the domain name Ferrari.com which is why Ferrari uses FerrariWorld.com... Rob could get in contact with Mike and get Ferrari.com if he wanted to.. : - )

 

It works well for web business strategies to sometimes buy a competitor and cross-link the sites (rather than buying them to shut them down). For example, NewsCorp/Fox buying MySpace, Google buying YouTube, or MSN trying to buy Yahoo.

Also, the web traffic data and marketing demographic data that could be obtained by owning FerrariChat should be of keen interest to them. IP tracking of user visits is pretty powerful stuff these days. This would be especially of interest to the group within Ferrari that is focused on brand revenue from non-automotive sources (e.g. Puma clothing, etc.).

The strategic value to them is probably a multiple of any other potential buyer of FerrariChat. (Of course, that marketing data might also be worth a pretty penny to a direct manufacturing competitor, such as that other Italian sports car company that uses a bull for its logo). Food for thought, anyway.

 

lol...."Fool me once, shame on you....Fool me twice, shame on me."

 

Well actually Ferrari have been involved in a lengthy legal dispute with the UK Owners' Club in part over Ferrari trying to trademark "Ferrari Owners' Club" which already belonged, naturally, to the Ferrari Owners' Club GB who were granted the right to use it by Enzo Ferrari 40 odd years ago. They have also been imposing rules and restrictions on Ferrari clubs around the world, some of whom have accepted them and some of whom haven't. So ticking off owners and enthusiasts doesn't seem to be something they're too bothered about. Or perhaps is just something they don't even think about.

Incidentally, somewhat off topic and not to denigrate FChat, but your 60,000 is not really a valid number since you continue to count everyone who has ever registered. If you only counted active members in the last year that might be a more sensible comparison with most clubs that have annual renewals. I'm sure if you asked FCA for their membership figures they wouldn't give you a figure that included everyone who had ever been a member, would they?

Jonathan

 

+1

 

Shelby tried same with SAAC. Went nicely with supporters of a brand that doesn't even sell cars directly, he screwed with Ford too.
So a Ferrari Barbie license fee is more important than selling parts/mugs/hats to a slam dunk audience? Not likely.
Let's not fuel thread, as that is what troll wanted in first place.
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I assume that there is not any real booger under this bush after all.

Having said, and having heard about some of the sillyness surrounding Carroll Shelby, the Cobra club, the validity of the kit cars, and all of that -

Maybe, just maybe - this kind of dead thing should not be recharged and walked through the forum for effect every so often.

 

Be thankful that Ferrari is not owned and operated by Carroll Shelby. Besides suing everyone on the planet from Ford to all the Cobra replica manufacturers, he is even suing his own authorized Shelby Registry.

 

I am thankful every day for that - and that a Ferrari is so much harder to clone than a Mustang.

I suppose I would be a little put off by all the replica-Cobras if I were old Shelby, but it seems to me that suing his own club was way over the top.

Not to mention suddenly "just finding" those 100 "absolutely original" 427 aluminum body/frame sets all ready to receive their engines.

That and the mess of the little Oldsmobile powered roadster, etc. etc...

 

It goes.....

Fool me once, shame on you..... Fool me twice, shame on me!

***edit*** OOPS! I wonder what the saying is for "Post me" twice!

 

JPG's galore this AM, working fast, time to find them
Just for you Dave
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One interesting stat, probably unknowable, would be the number of first-time owners who visited this site before buying. As a "recruiting" tool for the world of Ferrari, I think this site helped take Ferrari ownership from a black box/secret society to something that a guy with a BMW/Porsche-level budget might realistically consider.

In any event, glad this got cleared up. Ferrari must know that there's a "long tail" of used Ferraris out there, and this place seems to support and inform the market (pricing, parts needs, etc.)

 

This is so stupid. I skimmed through until I saw Rob's first reply, and was relieved from any unsubstantiated worry about a corporate giant wanting to shut down an internet forum.




I do admit, the forces working within FerrariChat.com may one day be powerful enough to control the world, or at least Rhode Island. So when the time comes that Rob wants to spread his evil, soulless wings and devour the earth under the FerrariChat name, I will ask Ferrari to personally intervene. It just hasn't come to that yet...



_J

 

Hi Jonathan, you must also remember that some of the most serious collectors, historians and techs probably lurk more than anything. They just stay behind the lines and keep a low profile and not post in the longest time.

 

It seems that its all about the badge-trademark.

http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2008/03/ferrari-threatens-to-take-legal-actions.html

Given this guy 14 days to remove Ferrari badge on his backyard chopjob. I guess Ferrari has trademark rights and will not hesitate to enforce it.

 

I agree with Ferrari on that - that car is an abomination, and the Ferrari badge is an historic and valuable trademark. I think Ferrari should take a hard line with replicas, kit cars, etc.

But -- this is separate from the issue being discussed. FChat isn't using any trademarks or logotypes, and isn't asserting that it's a Ferrari "product". (In fact there's a disclaimer to the opposite at the bottom of your screen.)

Hopefully it all gets sorted out.

 

You can't trade mark a last name... There is no intellectual property here that is theirs, we also have freedom of speech and the press here in the states... Ferrari is a last name, a company name in Italy, not the United States, but also a last name. This blog could have been RobLayChat.com as well and the domain name FerrariChat.com is obviously owned by Rob. Ferrari could threaten, but a Judge here in the states would most likely send them packing... I just don't see Ford doing something this crazy, if this was FordChat.com, they wouldn't care, because it wouldn't matter if they did.. For some reason ************.com doesn't have this problem, perhaps because nothing can be done about it anyway?
I love Ferrari but sometimes they go a little to far...

 

Yes it was off topic but brainstorming the possibilities. Interestingly in "Italy" its illegal to have Ferrari kit cars, I duno if that has anything to do with trademark or Ferrari design rights. Ferrari has even sued Mclaren and former employee Nigel Stepney for passing secret information in this case http://www.sportbusiness.com/news/167475/ferrari-drops-legal-action-against-mclaren http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/417227/1903372

In the end we all want Ferrari to make cars and Ferrarichat to be a good source for enthusiasts.

GrndLkNatv if it envolves monitary gains for both sides technicalities is the inevitable. Say Ferrari has a 50 year patent on the prancing horse and they fill for Intellectual property patents and files for Continuance for another 50 it can go on and on.

Rob I don't think Ferrari will take legal action so long as enthusiasts are not posting Spy pictures of future models or passing inside information etc...

 

Rob, I personally wish you the best in getting this resolved as so many of us have learned so much on this site, in addition to meeting great people. I don't understand why some Immature Jerk (not mentioning names) is such a trouble maker. But then again what do I know. You have the support of this community in getting this resolved in hopefully the most Positive Manner for both F-Chat and Ferrari, SPA.

Best,
Tony

 

Getting tired of the Ferrari attitude...
The company is changing and it's not for the better
The ones I have now... (I' m on my fifth ferrari so i'ts not like I don't like the cars)...may very well be the last ferrari's I own, there is better looking cars out there now for the same money and performance
Example, I woud buy a DB9 over a California and a Murcielago over a 599...
JOAO

 

It's bad enough that a grown man got into an internet fight. What's even worse is that he actually got his panties in a wad over it. But the fact that he then made an attempt to get the website shut down because of it? I think I've just witnessed the most pathetically juvenile behavior of my entire life.

-R

 

Quote: "Say Ferrari has a 50 year patent on the prancing horse and they fill for Intellectual property patents and files for Continuance for another 50 it can go on and on."

You can't get a patent on a horse, you could get a trade mark on the prancing horse, but there is no prancing trade mark on this site that is put here by the owner. There are individuals here who might have posted it via pictures of their cars but that is nothing.
Again I love Ferrari but they have nothing they can do here in the states. They could sue, but it will just go to Discovery and then get dropped by the judge...