Chinese bus maker sues German competitor, blogger for defama
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A Chinese bus maker has sued the German auto company Neoplan Bus GmbH, Neoplan's parent company and its marketing agency for libel, sources with the Chinese company told Xinhua on Thursday.
The Zhongwei Bus & Coach Group, based in the coastal city of Yancheng in east China's Jiangsu Province, claimed that the three defendants have seriously damaged their business reputation by irresponsibly claiming that Zhongwei's A9 bus was a "copycat design" of Neoplan's award-winning Starliner.
The defendants are Neoplan Bus GmbH, its parent MAN Nutzfahrzeuge AG and the online marketing agency Iven & Hillmann. They have been summonsed to appear at the Yancheng City intermediate court on July 17.
According to Ji Lijun, manager of Zhongwei's public relations department, the defendants "defamed Zhongwei at a press conference in Beijing last October in a totally irresponsible and unfair manner".
"We request them to stop defaming us and repair the damage done", said Ji.
Neoplan filed a suit at Beijing No.1 Intermediate People's Court on September 26, 2006, accusing Zonda Industrial Group, the parent company of Zhongwei, of copying the entire design of its Starliner bus.
Zonda denied the accusation, saying that the A9's design was original and had been granted a design patent by the state intellectual property administration.
"Neoplan held a press conference in the name of its parent company in Beijing on Oct. 19, 2006, before the court had made a ruling, and publicized their claim that the A9 had 'stolen' their design. Most press reports directly quoted Neoplan's accusation, greatly denigrating our product," Ji said.
The dispute was exacerbated by a blog linked to a Der Speigel story about the lawsuit. Hillmann from Iven & Hillmann company posted on the regional Autoblog on October 22 comments to the effect "this is a vivid example of how rapid and uninhibited the Chinese are when it comes to copying."
Ji said such comments not only hurt Zonda, but also the entire Chinese auto industry. "That's why we have decided to take them to court."
He added that the court should decide whether or not Zonda pirated the design and the defendants are not entitled to spread stories before a judgement is made.
Hillmann apologized on the blog on Jan. 5 and said he did not intend to hurt Sino-German relations, but he also questioned the legitimacy of the Yancheng local court to try
Neoplan Starliner:
Zonda A9:
http://english.people.com.cn/200701/19/eng20070119_342936.html -
That's why never bring all these to PRC
Bring alrdy, they go make 1 similar one and later such things happen
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The buses are awfully similar .
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China... hopeless... Everytime only know how to copy only... Later the components inside the bus are some imitation or lousy quality rubbish... End up everyday also breakdown.
Later SMRT tender for the bus is China bus, the new bus look exactly like the Volgrens or something like that... -
Look exactly like Volgren nvm...most important is the buses drive train and suspension. Very impt . Chassis also. If chassis suck, bus crash, no hope of surviving liao loh.Originally posted by stooper:China... hopeless... Everytime only know how to copy only... Later the components inside the bus are some imitation or lousy quality rubbish... End up everyday also breakdown.
Later SMRT tender for the bus is China bus, the new bus look exactly like the Volgrens or something like that... 
But dont underestimate china things hor. China only imitates some products. Some of them uses Cummins engines and jap engines. Only things that suck is the leaf spring suspension. -
No surprise,They copy exactly the same with minor modification and claimed that its their idea,Fuckup
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But notice that the German design has three axles while the Chinese had two?Originally posted by carbikebus:No surprise,They copy exactly the same with minor modification and claimed that its their idea,Fuckup
Overall, I did not have any comments on this yet. -
So what if it has two or three axles? The body design simply seems like an imitation, like the imitations of Designline Olympbus (Electric bus based on a MAN chassis) body design in China, many diesel buses there use similar looking bodies.Originally posted by TWS4793:But notice that the German design has three axles while the Chinese had two?
Overall, I did not have any comments on this yet.
China is the greatest imitation factory in the world, at least it seems so. -
There's also an imitation ALX200 with a King Long badge running around in Shenzhen.Originally posted by Scania:China is the greatest imitation factory in the world, at least it seems so. -
Originally posted by Chassis also. If chassis suck, bus crash, no hope of surviving liao loh.
Yah lah... Don't even know if their buses got undergo crash test before.... I think will confirm fail...[/b] -
Then??
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China = copy cat
Copy copy copy only know how to copy 
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malaysia also got this model do u think they copy each other
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There was once i saw a "Citaro" look-a-like in some chinese webbie..
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Even the wheels are similar to Scania!Originally posted by carbikebus:No surprise,They copy exactly the same with minor modification and claimed that its their idea,Fuckup -
That's why I swore vehemently to God that I will never ever even think of visiting or doing any kind of business in China, and I will never ever have any of my creations even get passed onto a China man's hands or eyes, let alone get into that country.
Originally posted by stooper:
If $MRT does buy China buses, it will make me lose that one last tiny bit of respect I have for them, and I swore I won't even think of poking their buses or trains with a 985-foot-long stick.
Later SMRT tender for the bus is China bus, the new bus look exactly like the Volgrens or something like that... [/b] -
Dun worry, buses are not the only things they have copied. Even eggs to planes are not spared!
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Thats only bodywork, not chassis. I think that is UD or Hino chassis.Originally posted by MitEvolution:malaysia also got this model do u think they copy each other -
look even the name of the bus is a copy from another brand.
Zonda sounds familiar?
actual name: honda -
Pot calling the kettle black.The stupid PRC themself are infringing copyright law by copying people design.What "their original design" eh
it seems that the PRC designers in viehicle companies have shit for brain.Pigs