Friday, October 14, 2005
Yamaha claims trademark infringement
San Clemente distributor and dealer in Costa Mesa also named in lawsuit.
By ANDREW GALVIN
The Orange County Register

ACTION: Yamaha has sued Yamoto Motor Corp. and two Orange County dealers that sell Yamoto all-terrain vehicles such as this one.
Yamaha Motor Corp.U.S.A.has filed a trademark-infringement lawsuit against Yamoto Motor Corp.and a San Clemente distributor, alleging they are selling Chinese-made copies of Yamaha all-terrain vehicles under a similar name in an attempt to confuse customers.
Yamaha USA, based in Cypress, claims in the lawsuit that Union City-based Yamoto intentionally chose its name, logo and Web address to be similar to Yamaha’s. The suit alleges that Yamoto and San Clemente-based Patriot Motorcycles Corp., the U.S. distributor of Yamoto vehicles, have falsely claimed that Yamoto was formed as part of a joint venture with Yamaha.
Reached at his office, Patriot’s CFO, David Gernak, said he was reviewing the lawsuit and couldn’t immediately comment. A voice-mail message left at Yamoto’s office wasn’t returned.
Another defendant named in the lawsuit isFamily Motor Sports, a Costa Mesa dealership that sells Yamoto ATVs, according to the suit. Family Motor Sports doesn’t have a license from the California Department of Motor Vehicles to sell ATVs, according to the suit.
No one at Family Motor Sports returned a phone call seeking comment.
Yamaha’s suit, filed Wednesday in federal court in Los Angeles, seeks an order blocking the defendants from infringing on Yamaha’s trademarks, plus damages.