</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I'm not sure how the Kubota Corp. can block entrance into a country, why would the country have anything to do with that? I will have to look into that. Can you please explain more about the US port prohibiting entry? )</font>
I'll try to boil it down to a nutshell.
Kubota Corp. did not want their tractors, made for other markets, to be imported into this country as "gray market" tractors. They were not made for this country, and did not have the required safety features required for this country. Kubota did not want to support these gray market tractors, and did not want the possible liability which they might pose. So, they managed to get a court to ban the importation of said tractors into the United States under various Tariff laws and other means.
The Wallace International, et al. legal proceedings were brought about because that company had formed a co-op of sorts made up of different dealers around the country who wished to import Kubota tractors which were relabled as Zen-Noh (Japanese farmer's cooperative) brand tractors. They were clearly still Kubota tractors, and this was a trademark infringement. Some of the companies did not cease and desist, and were found guilty of violating the C&D order, and were fined large dollar amounts.
No Kubota dealership is supposed to knowingly support any gray market tractor in the US. Some models are very close to the US models, and, when someone knows which model is the closest, he/she may find the parts needed, but it's a hassle. There are still quite a few of these gray models around, but I sure wouldn't want one!
I hope that makes it a little clearer. I was very close to paying the required money to join the Wallace International co-op so that I could import the gray Kubotas before I learned about all the legal hassles that were going on. I even spoke at length with Mr. Wallace in California, however, I learned of the problems in time to save my MONEY!
John
I'll try to boil it down to a nutshell.
Kubota Corp. did not want their tractors, made for other markets, to be imported into this country as "gray market" tractors. They were not made for this country, and did not have the required safety features required for this country. Kubota did not want to support these gray market tractors, and did not want the possible liability which they might pose. So, they managed to get a court to ban the importation of said tractors into the United States under various Tariff laws and other means.
The Wallace International, et al. legal proceedings were brought about because that company had formed a co-op of sorts made up of different dealers around the country who wished to import Kubota tractors which were relabled as Zen-Noh (Japanese farmer's cooperative) brand tractors. They were clearly still Kubota tractors, and this was a trademark infringement. Some of the companies did not cease and desist, and were found guilty of violating the C&D order, and were fined large dollar amounts.
No Kubota dealership is supposed to knowingly support any gray market tractor in the US. Some models are very close to the US models, and, when someone knows which model is the closest, he/she may find the parts needed, but it's a hassle. There are still quite a few of these gray models around, but I sure wouldn't want one!
I hope that makes it a little clearer. I was very close to paying the required money to join the Wallace International co-op so that I could import the gray Kubotas before I learned about all the legal hassles that were going on. I even spoke at length with Mr. Wallace in California, however, I learned of the problems in time to save my MONEY!
John
