A visit to the Engadget store...

That "Engadget" store in Malaysia? Yeah, it's for real, Engadget reader/shopper Jereme Tupa swung by the store on a recent visit to Kuala Lumpur and captured some nice footage of a very nervous-looking clerk denying that he'd ever heard of Engadget the website. Whatever, dude, we're not going to sue you or anything, but don't front that you didn't swipe both our name and our logo. Just fess up (and maybe throw in a nice little gift certificate to your shop) and we'll let it slide.

WATCH - Storefront
WATCH - Denial

[Pat Kessock @ Jul 10th 2006 4:25PM]

hey guys, you forgot to put the engadget.com/videos/ part in the second video. nice though

Pat

[Pip @ Jul 10th 2006 4:25PM]

His name is cooler because he has THREE bars.

RAISE THE BAR.

[m @ Jul 10th 2006 4:26PM]

you need to fix your second link to read:

http://stadium.weblogsinc.com/engadget/videos/engadget_store_denial.avi

[xTmDarren @ Jul 10th 2006 4:27PM]

i say SUE! lol just for saying he doesn't know anything about this site. oh and ur denial video is linked wrong,

here it is incase someone cant figure it out.

http://stadium.weblogsinc.com/engadget/videos/engadget_store_denial.avi

[FosterK @ Jul 10th 2006 4:27PM]

Yeah, the second link's broken :)

http://engadget.com/videos/engadget_store_denial.avi

[Josh @ Jul 10th 2006 4:27PM]

I am going to go make a arcade called joystiq now :).

[Jared @ Jul 10th 2006 4:30PM]

His name is cooler because he has THREE bars.

RAISE THE BAR.
---------------------

Actually Pip, the sign sports only two, just like the real engadget. You're seeing the backlit border.

[chickensnack @ Jul 10th 2006 4:34PM]

I was quite entertained by the giant argument over whether that picture was Photoshopped or not last time. All the people claiming to be Photoshop experts and explaining exactly why the light behind the letters is OBVIOUSLY 'SHOPPED and so on. Hooray Internet.

[Allon @ Jul 10th 2006 4:35PM]

Well done Jereme! Too bad your enthusiasm didn't exactly find much reciprocation ity with the sales-clerk, but quite worth the effort.

[aaron @ Jul 10th 2006 4:40PM]

I don't know how much it matters since this store isn't in the U.S. but if you DONT sue someone for infringing on your copywrite then that actually can invalidate your copywrite.

Just saying.

[David @ Jul 10th 2006 4:40PM]

this reminds me of that simpson's episode where homer's exact likeness is the spokesperson logo for some asian soap company and it ended up being a random coincidence.

[flydianslip @ Jul 10th 2006 4:41PM]

Noone has pointed out the fact that the logos have different fonts. Doesn't make it legal that there is a small variation but I know alot of stupid people that think you can just change one element and it's ok and safe. Being a designer myself, I see alot or ordinary people who think copyright infringement doesn't apply to them. Obviously a big problem.

[Markus @ Jul 10th 2006 4:43PM]

No wonder he doesn't fess up! Just look at the guy, he's definately lacking in the balls department and has "WUSS" written all over his face.

[Michael @ Jul 10th 2006 4:45PM]

And no one corrected the link... Well, I hope it will be corrected

[kei @ Jul 10th 2006 4:50PM]

lol they can't sue.
the logo is too different to enable this website to sue.

Plus Malaysian law would support the fact.

Additionally, even if they were able to, there is a key difference, they are a store that target Malaysia and Engadget.com is a news website.

That's why you can have

Oxygen Media (Oprah)
Oxygen (Shoe store in london)
Oxygen (Make-up store in Bahrain)
Oxygen (clothing store in Canada)
etc.. and they all have similar logos too.

[SLVRMUSTANG @ Jul 10th 2006 4:54PM]

I like the radition alarm right next to the sign

[Brant @ Jul 10th 2006 4:58PM]

Didn't u guys post this like a couple months ago???

[beanspants1 @ Jul 10th 2006 5:02PM]

you could sue, and probably should to protect your copyright here in the US.
International copyright laws exist.
Malaysian law would probably support their own country first because they are basically dishonest, and don't do much to police other people's intellectual property.

IP protection (or the lack thereof) is one of the dirty little hangups of free trade. Anything you can create can easily be reverse engineered and sold by someone else, and most of the 2nd world countries (asia, africa, south america) don't do much to stop it.


"engadget" is a made-up word, which gives it more protection than a word like "oxygen", which can be found in the dictionary.

[Steve @ Jul 10th 2006 5:03PM]

Can some one post this on youtube? I cant see the vids.

Thanks

[Ranjit Mathoda @ Jul 10th 2006 5:07PM]

If you don't seek to protect your trademark in the engadget name and logo, you may lose your trademark to the engadget name and logo, at least under US law. You should definitely consult a lawyer.

[bzy @ Jul 10th 2006 5:08PM]

No clue what the local law is there with regards to trademark rights (not a copyright issue, folks) but the minor variation in font and bars means squat.

You must protect your mark. If a foreign entity is infringing your mark, you can send a cease & desist or try to register your mark in foreign countries. Every non-authorized use of your mark hurts it in the long run.

Also, the fact that this is a website and that is a store shouldn't matter too much. The subject matter - - technology, gadgets, innovation -- are the same. If you were to register the mark here in the US, any good trademark lawyer would make sure that you had protection for your mark across as many legitimate areas as possible.

If you haven't sought registration for the mark or the logo, you should do it ASAP.

[JK @ Jul 10th 2006 5:15PM]

Engadget,

While I'm sure Aaron's intentions are good, I wouldn't take intellectual property legal advice from someone who can't spell "copyright."

Don't thank me.

[Alex @ Jul 10th 2006 5:21PM]

Did Aaron spell it copywrong?

[aaron @ Jul 10th 2006 5:22PM]

JK: Hahah.. I knew I spelled that wrong as soon as I hit "Add". No edit feature here ;) Was waiting for my ownage.

I'm still "write" about the issue though ;) Although like I said, the fact that the IP infringer is in Malaysia probably makes this a non-issue.

[Ectoplasm @ Jul 10th 2006 5:22PM]

Wasn't this mentioned last year in Engadget? Anyway... I would never publically state you're not going to sue. You need to protect your name and brand.

[a_Nobody @ Jul 10th 2006 5:23PM]

well done dude well done

[[noodle] @ Jul 10th 2006 5:26PM]

They should of wore the engadget shirt..and asked
" where's the apparel section? "

[saleh @ Jul 10th 2006 5:28PM]

quicktime is a piece of crap! some videos work, some never do. and i'm updated too!

youtube anyone?

[Aaron @ Jul 10th 2006 5:44PM]

Maybe this will be a new photo op for geeks that read this website in Malaysia. Kind of like I want to get my picture taken in front of the world's "blankest blank" as often as possible (which reminds me to keep me away from Samsungs booth at press events).

[O.I. @ Jul 10th 2006 5:57PM]

If it doesn't work for you, try downloading VLC and just downloading the videos. It didn't work for me in my browser either, but VLC played it just fine.

[Charles Wilkinson @ Jul 10th 2006 6:14PM]

I mean really. Come on. Are you serious?

The logo AND the name? Really guys, stop denying this and give the props. The web guys and the editors and contributors totally seem way cool and aren't going to sue, AS SAID BY THEM!!~!!~!!

But really, give props where they're due. Where do you get your ideas for product lines? What site do you use to stock your shelves? Hook up the props where the props are due. If people ask, tell them about the website, and include the guys making the site. Lucrative partnership is what I see from this. This could be the first of MANY endgadget store, and I would shop there.

But at the very least, give the guys some props. That is all.

~Engadget, you rock. I work in the tech industry and enjoy the writing and content on your site. Keep on keepin' on.

[BruceLeeRoy @ Jul 10th 2006 6:15PM]

Hmmm... What if Engadget were the ones that Copied the Engadget logo from the store in Malaysia.... or the ones that came up with the design for the site...

[Ashton Tibbitt @ Jul 10th 2006 6:17PM]

Didn't you post the real store a couple of months ago?
I thought you already said it was fake???

Whats up with that???

[mastershake916 @ Jul 10th 2006 6:21PM]

Crappy video crashed my firefox.

[Pete Avila J.r. @ Jul 10th 2006 6:23PM]

Thats fu$%ed up that they denied it! Total bs. If they did admit they stole the name I wouldnt sue. But since they denied it. Engadget, take them down!!! Come on whats the chance that they would have the same two bars as well!

[Steven @ Jul 10th 2006 6:25PM]

apparently bruceleeroy never read engadget 1985

[Dolomite @ Jul 10th 2006 6:26PM]

Maybe Engadget (the website) copied off them??????

[Kyle @ Jul 10th 2006 6:26PM]

Can some one post this on youtube? I cant see the vids.

Thanks

___________________________

Here you are :
Store : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtCQViOsVDA
Denial : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-G6aOdISc0

[liquid @ Jul 10th 2006 6:28PM]

no audio in the vids, but the point still gets across just looking at the guys face when hes confronted about the name. lol.

[Steven @ Jul 10th 2006 6:31PM]

apparently dolomite never read engadget 1985

[Mauricio @ Jul 10th 2006 6:33PM]

Sue his ass. especially if he denies it!

[james @ Jul 10th 2006 6:33PM]

welcome to Malaysia... er, or just virtually anywhere in Asia. What a mess (copyrights).

[BruceLeeRoy @ Jul 10th 2006 6:36PM]

I've read engadget 1985, I was just joking, of course these people copied off this site and know about it ,anyone can see that

[Matt @ Jul 10th 2006 6:50PM]

The guy might be telling the truth, if he's not the owner of the store.

[computer.dude.28 @ Oct 4th 2007 6:52PM]

It's so Obvious he's lying, he wouldn't even look the guy in the face when he denied it!

[aeo @ Jul 10th 2006 6:51PM]

Open an "official" Engadget store right next door to them and let them take YOU to court.

[Alex @ Jul 10th 2006 6:53PM]

Obviously, engadget.com is more well-known than the engadget store. One can verify that by simply compare how many visitors come to this site and how many customers go into that store everyday.

I bet engadget.com has more than enough money to buy out that store if each 1 of us fellow readers contribute a dollar.

[Joe @ Jul 10th 2006 7:46PM]

You really should consult a lawyer on this.

Any non-lawyer attempting to advise engadget.com is practicing law without a license (bad).

[Ost @ Jul 10th 2006 7:46PM]

Copying is over the top in Asia, I'd say it's out of control.

[Kyle @ Jul 10th 2006 8:06PM]

no audio in the vids, but the point still gets across just looking at the guys face when hes confronted about the name. lol.

____________________

Maybe get new codecs? Unmute your sound? There IS audio.