Fleetwood v. Coleman....

[Tim5055]

From RV Business News

Fleetwood's Claims Vs. Coleman & Coachmen Could Go to Trial

Jeff Kurowski
RV Business
Tuesday, June 1, 2004

While Coachmen Industries Inc. is preparing to begin marketing towable RVs under the Coleman brand name, executives at Fleetwood Enterprises Inc. are hopeful that the court case involving its civil damage claims against the two firms will go to trial later this year.

A jury trial for Fleetwood

[tlhdoc]

Thanks for posting the update.

[SkipP]

Tim, thanks for the update. Seems that if Fleetwood maintains it's place as marketshare leader for pop-ups, the claims for damages are diluted somewhat. With the other changes Fleetwood has made, how can they come up with a figure on the amount of lost revenues losing the Coleman name has caused? Dropping the lifetime warranty on the roof would have a bigger impact than the Coleman name to me.

The saga continues........

[mike4947]

Don't forget this is one sided. Not much more than a press release handed out by Fleetwood. Would have been nice to get American Home's and Coachman's staements as well.

[Tim5055]

I would think the key issue is use of the name. If (I say if because I have not read the original contract) it is worded as the press release says, while Fleetwood may not want to use the name, no one else could either.

Fleetwood Enterprises is seeking enforcement of the

[Mike&Judy]

Does anyone know what the original dispute was about?  Why did Coleman want to take the name away, or why did Fleetwood want to stop using the name.   Personally I think that the Coleman name is a help to whatever company is marketing the product.  Fleetwood took a name that was the biggest in camping, made a quality product that has grabbed the marketshare, and now I think suffer if someone else can begin marketing that name.   Many consumers will be confused and think they are buying the same thing as before.  Judy with her first husband had a coleman by fleetwood, this caused us to go to the same dealer.  Our 2003 still has the Coleman brand on it, but she until we really went over it with the dealer had no idea about the name Fleetwood.  She felt that they owned a Coleman.  Fleetwood wasn't the brand name.   It will be interesting to see how it shakes out.

[Tim5055]

Does anyone know what the original dispute was about?  Why did Coleman want to take the name away, or why did Fleetwood want to stop using the name.

The answer to this is $$$$

Coleman wanted additional money for continued use of the name.  Some have said they wanted the additional $$ because in addition to pop ups, Fleetwood had moved ito Hybrids (Caravan) with teh Coleman name.

[mike4947]

Actually he suit was started due to Fleetwood's use of the Coleman name on their Caravan hybrid trailer line which was outside the otiginal licensing agreement. Fleetwood said the license cover these trailers and the royalty payments (rumoured to be in the $300-$400 range per unit) would be the same on these larger hybrids. American Home (owner of the Coleman name) said they weren't covered and needed to be negotiated as these trailers were a different type and more costly.
In the original suit Coleman obtained a preliminary injunction against Fleetwood that prohibits them from using the Coleman name in any form related to their trailers. The injunction at last word was sheduled for some time this year to determine if the injuction should be made permanent and the actual suit is sheduled for trial sometime in 2005.
 
Note: this is not the lawsuit in the press release. The one in the press release is a seperate lawsuit brought by Fleetwood counter suing American home over their right to license the name to anyone else.
(sort of a "if I can't have it, then no one will"}

[Tim5055]

"if I can't have it, then no one will"

Seems like a good business decision if you ask me :Z

[Mike&Judy]

Seems like a good business decision if you ask me :Z

I agree, Whoever has that name sells more campers I think.  The masses know the name Coleman.  I have to agree with American Home.  I would want a bigger cut of the hybrids as well, or something that eventually led to a bigger cut.  I have been wondering why in the world no one was using the name at the moment.

[mike4947]

As a side note: at our last local RV show the ExColeman now Fleetwood PU dealer got so many quetions on who sold Coleman trailers now and where they were at the show, that they put up a hugh sign saying It was Coleman's fault for having too high a licensing fee and that Fleetwood couldn't make any money with the outragious fees and so Fleetwood had to drop the Coleman name and that the trailers were even higher in quality now that they had a Fleetwood name.
 
I had loads of fun asking their sales people repeatedly how come the prices didn't come down now that they didn't have to pay the outragious fees and why where they sueing American Home over the name if it wasn't important.
 
I guess dealers can lie even if their mouth isn't moving.

[SkipP]

I had loads of fun asking their sales people repeatedly how come the prices didn't come down now that they didn't have to pay the outragious fees and why where they sueing American Home over the name if it wasn't important.
 
I guess dealers can lie even if their mouth isn't moving.

Mike, that was wicked! I love it! Have to remember this one next time I'm by the dealer......