Kubota sues Kioti

[bgott]

I find it ironic that a Japanese company is suing someone else for copying them being that everything the Japanese have ever done is a rip off from someone else.

 

[cpicton1]

Older Kubota color scheme, Kubota Orange & Kubota Blue. Newer color scheme, Kubota Orange II & ROPS Gray.
When I went to buy my supplies at my dealer for the 50hr service I grabbed a can of Kubota Orange II & ROPS Gray and set it on the counter. The owner came over and said we use AGCO Corporate Orange paint for touch ups in our shop. He said it matches up better than the Kubota spray paint. I figured he new more about it than I so I put the Kubota Orange II back and grabbed a can of the AGCO Corporate Orange paint. When I used it to touch up my loader bucket I found it to be a perfect match. Who is copying who???

The Japanese are the best in the world at copying something and making it better than the original product. If they don't get it right the first time they just keep trying until they get it right. They are also very good at marketing their products.

I love my BX2200 but sometimes I wonder how it would look if it were Kubota Orange II & Kubota Blue. I wonder if the Blue is cheaper than the ROPS Gray? /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

<font color=blue>"sue the state of New Hampshire next, for their highway department heavy trucks also match your color."</font color=blue>

OMG /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif I just realized I have a Kubota knock-off F-450 dump truck and I'm right down the road from the Kubota dealer! Quick! Somebody get me the whitewash. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

On a more serious note, I wonder if something like this could happen to First Choice and Midwest. After all, I know that John Deere makes competing products like mowers and box blades in their signature green color. Couldn't it be argued that FC and MW are infringing by offering that same (or similar) color?

Personally, I hope not. I kind of like the idea of having my implements available to match my tractor without being held hostage to the Deere dealer price tags.

 

[cowboydoc]

I can see their point. I had seen quite a few ads for what I thought were kubota tractors in alot of the horse, ranch, and farm magazines that I get. One day I realized that wasn't kubota but was actually kioti! I think I even posted here once that I was seeing alot of those ads for kubota recently. They even use alot of the same advertising makeup. Kind of a tough one to say either way but I do see their point.

 

[BigDave]

If Kubota changed their shade of Orange, did they change it to or away from Kioti's shade of Orange?

I always thought of this general shade of orange as construction orange. Isn't construction yellow shared by many heavy equipment brands also? JD, NH, Case, Cat, JCB, etc.

 

[Kodiak]

There are quite a few state highway depts that use that shade of orange also.

 

[ScottAR]

Not exactly. They are all different shades, Maybe not that different, but different. Moreover, The sheet metal, cabs, and decals of the various machines look different. If 5 machines were parked in a line at a jobsite, One could tell which was a Cat for example quite easily.
I've often wondered why Kubotas and Kiotis looked so similar and why Kubota didn't sue them. Of course, I forgot to take out the trash the other day so I'm obivously no mega mind. /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

 

[bgott]

" The lawsuit further alleges that Kioti has been responsible for statements indicating a current relationship between Kubota and Kioti with respect to tractors when, in fact, no such current relationship exists."

I had heard that Kioti used Kubota engines on some models in the past. Does anybody know if this is true?

 

[JimMc]

Kioti is a different shade of orange than Kubota. The gray chassis is also a different shade. We have had to reformulate our powder to get a color match for them.