strollerqueen
08-28-2012, 02:44 PM
It's the battle of the Titans!
BABY JOGGER™ FILES SUIT AGAINST BRITAX FOR PATENT INFRINGEMENT OF THE CITY MINI STROLLER
(Richmond, Virginia) August 15, 2012 – The Baby Jogger Company, original inventor and leading manufacturer of the three wheeled jogger and all-terrain stroller, today filed a lawsuit against Britax Child Safety, Inc. (“Britax”) in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. The suit involves Baby Jogger’s patented and proprietary Quick-Fold Technology and asserts claims against Britax for patent infringement, trade dress infringement, and unfair competition based upon Britax’s attempt to knock off one of the most popular and best designed strollers on the market, the City Mini®, a sales leader in its market segment each year since 2007.
The suit asserts that “[t]hrough its use, adoption, appropriation and/or copying of the City Mini Trade Dress, without authorization, Britax is attempting to “catch up” with an established competitor, Baby Jogger, and is misleading, deceiving and/or confusing consumers in the marketplace as to the source, origin, sponsorship or approval of the B-Agile stroller.” In addition, the suit alleges that “Britax began using an advertisement for its B-Agile stroller that mimicked a long-running advertisement by Baby Jogger showing how the quick-fold technology of the City Mini works,” resulting in “consumers [] expressing uncertainty and confusion regarding the source of the B-Agile stroller, whether Baby Jogger had authorized the B-Agile design, and whether Baby Jogger had licensed Britax to make the B-Agile stroller, among other things.”
“Since its introduction in 2007, The City Series has long been a consumer favorite for its ability to navigate urban environments, its durability and Quick-Fold mechanism,” explains Mark Zehfuss, CEO of Baby Jogger. “As evidenced by the 31 awards Baby Jogger has received worldwide in the last four years for safety and design innovation, we work hard to develop innovative designs that improve the safety and utility of our strollers and we will protect the intellectual property behind these innovations.”
The winner of over seven awards for safety, performance and durability from organizations such as the NAPPA, PTPA, iParenting Media and others, cement the City Mini’s position as the leading lightweight stroller. Weighing in at only 16.8 pounds, the City Mini single operates with the patented Quick-Fold Technology, making folding and storage a one-handed operation. The City Mini double shares the same features as the single, weighs 23 pounds and can fit through a standard 30” door. Baby Jogger’s City Mini strollers are built by hand, one at a time, to ensure unsurpassed quality and unparalleled safety. Baby Jogger uses the highest quality materials and tests each stroller beyond the minimum requirements dictated by ASTM International and European standard EN-1888.
About The Baby Jogger Company
Established in 1984, Baby Jogger® is the original inventor and leading manufacturer of the three wheeled jogging stroller and all-terrain stroller. Baby Jogger strollers offer an array of innovative features to fit every parent’s needs – from easy maneuvering swivel wheels and unique suspension systems to high performance 20 inch wheels and stylish functionality, each stroller is designed to help make parents’ lives easier. In 2004, Baby Jogger unveiled its patented Quick-Fold Technology, which enables users to fold the stroller in half with one quick and simple step. In 2007, Baby Jogger expanded upon their standard use strollers to develop the City Series – an extensive array of urban use and all-terrain strollers designed for fashion forward parents. The City Series’ modern designs have been embraced worldwide and are in high demand with a wide clientele ranging from the average American family to Hollywood’s top celebrities. In addition, all Baby Jogger products have won over 17 design and innovation awards in the past four years and are safety certified by one of the world’s most well respected independent testing organizations, the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
BABY JOGGER™ FILES SUIT AGAINST BRITAX FOR PATENT INFRINGEMENT OF THE CITY MINI STROLLER
(Richmond, Virginia) August 15, 2012 – The Baby Jogger Company, original inventor and leading manufacturer of the three wheeled jogger and all-terrain stroller, today filed a lawsuit against Britax Child Safety, Inc. (“Britax”) in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. The suit involves Baby Jogger’s patented and proprietary Quick-Fold Technology and asserts claims against Britax for patent infringement, trade dress infringement, and unfair competition based upon Britax’s attempt to knock off one of the most popular and best designed strollers on the market, the City Mini®, a sales leader in its market segment each year since 2007.
The suit asserts that “[t]hrough its use, adoption, appropriation and/or copying of the City Mini Trade Dress, without authorization, Britax is attempting to “catch up” with an established competitor, Baby Jogger, and is misleading, deceiving and/or confusing consumers in the marketplace as to the source, origin, sponsorship or approval of the B-Agile stroller.” In addition, the suit alleges that “Britax began using an advertisement for its B-Agile stroller that mimicked a long-running advertisement by Baby Jogger showing how the quick-fold technology of the City Mini works,” resulting in “consumers [] expressing uncertainty and confusion regarding the source of the B-Agile stroller, whether Baby Jogger had authorized the B-Agile design, and whether Baby Jogger had licensed Britax to make the B-Agile stroller, among other things.”
“Since its introduction in 2007, The City Series has long been a consumer favorite for its ability to navigate urban environments, its durability and Quick-Fold mechanism,” explains Mark Zehfuss, CEO of Baby Jogger. “As evidenced by the 31 awards Baby Jogger has received worldwide in the last four years for safety and design innovation, we work hard to develop innovative designs that improve the safety and utility of our strollers and we will protect the intellectual property behind these innovations.”
The winner of over seven awards for safety, performance and durability from organizations such as the NAPPA, PTPA, iParenting Media and others, cement the City Mini’s position as the leading lightweight stroller. Weighing in at only 16.8 pounds, the City Mini single operates with the patented Quick-Fold Technology, making folding and storage a one-handed operation. The City Mini double shares the same features as the single, weighs 23 pounds and can fit through a standard 30” door. Baby Jogger’s City Mini strollers are built by hand, one at a time, to ensure unsurpassed quality and unparalleled safety. Baby Jogger uses the highest quality materials and tests each stroller beyond the minimum requirements dictated by ASTM International and European standard EN-1888.
About The Baby Jogger Company
Established in 1984, Baby Jogger® is the original inventor and leading manufacturer of the three wheeled jogging stroller and all-terrain stroller. Baby Jogger strollers offer an array of innovative features to fit every parent’s needs – from easy maneuvering swivel wheels and unique suspension systems to high performance 20 inch wheels and stylish functionality, each stroller is designed to help make parents’ lives easier. In 2004, Baby Jogger unveiled its patented Quick-Fold Technology, which enables users to fold the stroller in half with one quick and simple step. In 2007, Baby Jogger expanded upon their standard use strollers to develop the City Series – an extensive array of urban use and all-terrain strollers designed for fashion forward parents. The City Series’ modern designs have been embraced worldwide and are in high demand with a wide clientele ranging from the average American family to Hollywood’s top celebrities. In addition, all Baby Jogger products have won over 17 design and innovation awards in the past four years and are safety certified by one of the world’s most well respected independent testing organizations, the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)