I have just been sent an email from a Polish Boat Builder seeking dealers and distrubutors to market their new boat in the UK.  They are calling this new design a "Merlin".

It'll cause huge confusion if it takes off.  Are there any trademark issues?

Oh, and the boat is described in rather an honest way as being "fully unsinkable with plastic foam glued into the hulk"

She's a Beauty....

The movie I like best is where they try to sink it - but unfortunately it still floats.

Surely the RYA woudn't allow it to be marketed as such in the UK?

Why not ,moneys money isnt it?

How dare they !! Shame it is un-sinkable.

This reminds me that for some time I've been thinking that we should revert to 'Merlin' as the class name which was the simple but memorable name given to these wonderful boats 59 years ago.

For those of us who sailed on the sea the Merlin wasn't wonderful at all - tall rig, wide rolled decks' difficult to  bail.  The modern Merlin is much more like a Rocket!

ummmmmmm

ummmmmmm

I would doubt that Merlin or Merlin Rocket is copyrightable, lawyers who specialise would doubtless know,I doubt also it would be a trademark but then the Polish thing hardly loks polished does it! But then people do buy some awfully ugly boats from mass builders. I doubt it appeals to the same group of people at all.

What we haven't seen is the cost and that could be the real bottom line for a few people.

On the RYA copy of the rules it is title "NATIONAL MERLIN-ROCKET™ CLASS RULES" (thats a TM in there if you cant read the tiny font). So hopefully the trademark will save us....

Hopefully it would though note "Natinal Merlin Rocket Class" in full is the TM!

I use pledge on mine gives a lovely shine

I'm sure others may have but I've dropped them an e-mail giving our site & details so watch out for Polish input
ps after last years thread on 'BUCKETS' it's nice to see theve gone to a good home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have spoken to RYA and they are looking at the position with regard to trademark etc and will report back in due course as to whether there is anything to be done.

Lets not panic though!

We are still the best, and the likelihood of confusion over identity seems pretty remote!

GGGGGGGG

has anyone contacted the supplier? maybe they don't realise.

As GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG says I don't think it's a panic situation. I dropped them an E-mail as have no doubt others.

Сопротивление безрезультатно...

'England expects every man to do his duty'
             (pesky foriegners!)

I speek for polish merlin. We make new bote fom moderm materal. nice bendy grp.
I see your site. You old men who fall in watter. You sale old botes made of woode plankes and black sticks. yo not even have nice white sales.
Wot about trademark, you are rocket too. Saturn 5  is rocket. What Neil Armstrong say he go moon in merlin rocker?

I think they have made a reasonable attempt and looks like it could be a "good" river boat in the same way that a Comet Duo is, for people who want a one (3?) design easy to handle boat. It would be funny if it did catch on and replace say the Duos and Ents at Hampton and then we would have two fleets - Merlins, and Merlin Rockets.

I thought everyone at Hampton sailed a Duo or Comet