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BMW and MINI sue an Amusement Park in South Carolina

Old Jan 19, 2010 | 09:51 AM
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BMW and MINI sue an Amusement Park in South Carolina

According to The Sun News, Freestyle Music Park of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, is operating a roller coaster with six-passenger cars that bear a striking resemblence to BMW's Mini Cooper - make that a near exact copy. Understandably, BMW is less than pleased as the park's owners don't have permission to be rolling unauthorized knock-offs around the rails (likely pulling more G's than the actual production models). Following an unanswered cease-and-desist letter back in November, BMW of North America LLC and Bayerische Motoren Werke AG filed a suit against FPI MB Entertainment Tuesday for trademark infringement and false designation of origin.

The owners of the park, who purchased it out of bankruptcy just last year, claim this is all just a misunderstanding. They understand BMW's position regarding the "Round About" coaster and expect to work something out with the German automaker in the near future. BMW, on the other hand, is not only looking for the cars to be pulled off the track, they're seeking damages, too. They had better get in line – there are reportedly more than a dozen liens filed against the financially-troubled park for unpaid services since July. Thanks for the tip, Mason!


Source: MINI RollerCoaster Lawsuit

Wow! How interesting. This was posted a couple of days ago on AutoBlog. It sounds like the current owners did not install the MINI Coaster, but, the original people should have made sure it was allowed. Oh well.
 
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Old Jan 19, 2010 | 11:25 AM
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Sounds like they bought a LOT more than they bargained for. That's a pretty obvious ripoff of the MINI look.
 
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Old Jan 19, 2010 | 11:29 AM
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That park was originally opened as 'Hard Rock Park.' And was owned by Hard Rock Café. It was only open for 1 or 2 seasons before going bankrupt, so they had to close down for a season, before being bought and reopened as 'Freestyle Music Park.' I saw a rather interesting show on the Discovery Channel about the building of this park from start to finish. It was pretty interesting, they even showed the building of this coaster, the 'MINI' cars and all were aired.
 
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Old Jan 19, 2010 | 11:42 AM
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I sure hope they work it out.

I really like the Mini roller coaster. It looks great and it would be nice to ride on it. I hope BMW and the park make an agreement to let it stand.
I do agree that they should have got permission to use Mini's image before building it.
Ronnie948
 
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Old Jan 19, 2010 | 04:10 PM
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While I can't argue with BMW filing an infringement suit and I have little doubt they would win at trial, it would seem a shame if they could not work out a licensing agreement because I think it looks good to see MINI's in a speedy environment.
 
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Old Jan 19, 2010 | 06:55 PM
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Originally Posted by ronnie948
I really like the Mini roller coaster. It looks great and it would be nice to ride on it. I hope BMW and the park make an agreement to let it stand.
I do agree that they should have got permission to use Mini's image before building it.
Ronnie948

If you want to ride on a MINI roller coaster you can go to King's Island in Ohio and ride the Italian Job roller coaster...
 
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Old Jan 19, 2010 | 07:46 PM
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Originally Posted by MINIxB
If you want to ride on a MINI roller coaster you can go to King's Island in Ohio and ride the Italian Job roller coaster...
Or to Kings Dominion in Virginia, they also have an Italian Job roller coaster. It actually was an official stop on MTTS 2006.
 
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Old Jan 19, 2010 | 11:11 PM
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Damages? Please. If anything, it's promoting the brand.

Lawyers will be lawyers, but these guys need to get together, and sign a licensing agreement - for $1/year. Lawyers can have their 30%.
 
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Old Jan 20, 2010 | 12:17 AM
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Damages are sometimes not so much to collect money, but to set an example and deter others from doing something similar.

BTW, the Italian Job roller coasters mentioned (and at other locations) are in fact done under license agreement with MINI.
http://www.motoringfile.com/2005/05/...n_job_coaster/
 
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Old Jan 20, 2010 | 07:29 AM
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It's good to see some parks follow the rules lol
 
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