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China

Tesla Wins One Over Chinese Trademark Troll 103

Posted by timothy from the where's-my-good-enough-tesla-clone? dept.
cartechboy writes "The Tesla Model S went on sale in China this week, at a price of $121,000--which is the same $79,900 price as in the U.S. plus a whole bunch of other costs tacked on, mostly the customs duty China uses to protect its own auto industry and a stiff value-added tax. But that's not the big news. Lost in the announcement was the news that Tesla got its brand name back from a Chinese trademark troll who'd registered it in 2006, even before the very first electric Roadster was sold in the States. So now the company's stores can carry the name "Te Si La," which is the Chinese transliteration most familiar to consumers in that country. Score one more for Tesla Motors."
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Tesla Wins One Over Chinese Trademark Troll More

Tesla Wins One Over Chinese Trademark Troll

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  • More for show than environment (Score:3, Interesting)

    by SydShamino ( 547793 ) on Friday January 24, 2014 @08:18PM (#46063405)

    As mentioned in the article, most buyers in China will get this more for show than for the environment. At least in the U.S. when trolls call electric cars pointless, I can point to the 100% wind power on my electric bill and be smug about it, or at least point out that big industrial power plants in the countryside can scrub and dilute their exhaust more efficiently than thousands of cars crammed in a little city, but in China I think the power plants right now are probably just as bad.

    I do find it strange that the article mentions China incentivizing electric vehicles to reduce smog, while also pointing out the huge import duties Tesla has to pay. Given how cheap almost everything made in China is here, I didn't realize that they could tax our exports of anything that highly.

    • Trade rules with China were negotiated in the context of the cold war.

      To the extent that Nixon achieved a trade war verses a cold war it's a success. China's middle class is growing faster then America's is shrinking. American manufacturing is lean and mean, but still struggling against cheap Chinese labor.

      The peg is why we print so much money. When it moves to a market rate, everything changes.

    • Given how cheap almost everything made in China is here, I didn't realize that they could tax our exports of anything that highly.

      Many countries have enormous import taxes on foreign cars, sometimes going up with engine size.
      And then Luxury cars always have extra taxes added on, even in the USA.

      • Nope. Not in the USA we don't.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by AK Marc ( 707885 )
          CAFE put in place with collusion between the Big-3 and Congress to harm Mercedes and BMW who didn't sell any small cars at the time? No, that doesn't count. Import duties on pickups designed to guarantee the F-150, Chevy C1500 (silverado) and Dodge Ram stay the top-3 selling pickups? And the US had a luxury tax passed by Bush (1990) and repealed by Clinton (93), but it didn't last long.
          • Actually, I just read up on the tariffs on trucks. Did not realize that we had that. However, it was passed in the 60 and was retaliation for Europe barring our Chicken exports to them. Still, we are apparently talking about ending those. In addition, all other vehicles are subject to 2% tariffs, nothing more.

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by AK Marc ( 707885 )
              They worked. The "Big-3" still includes Chrysler. But last I saw, Toyota makes more cars in the US than Chrysler, and Chrysler is foreign-owned. One American maker down, one foreign maker so entrenched as to be an American maker now. More Toyotas are made outside Japan than in, and more Toyotas are sold in North America than in Japan. When do we get to call it a US maker? (I'm not being deliberately obtuse with my wording, it's just that's what I found for the numbers - I couldn't find the production n

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by dk20 ( 914954 )
          Please...
          http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C... [wikipedia.org]
          "As of November 2010, the 1963 tariff of 25% still affects importation of light trucks."

          http://www.tirebusiness.com/ar... [tirebusiness.com]
          "Imports of car tires from China doubled in October and November 2012 vs. the same period in 2011, the first full months after the elevated U.S. import tariffs on such tires expired on Sept. 27."

          The US has a very long history of slapping large tariffs to support its domestic market (just like every other country).
    • China has one of the highest tariffs in the world. Technically, per the CLinton deal, along with WTO, it is not supposed to be the case. But, they have ignored all of the treaties and run up massive tariffs. Then grip if USA is about to do one.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by dk20 ( 914954 )
        Simple, don't sell your products there?

        Seems easier then trying to force your will on them right?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Osgeld ( 1900440 )

      whats stopping them from setting their own import tax rate?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 ) *

      Couldn't find any up to date stats but Wikipedia [wikipedia.org] says that China was generating 17% renewable energy back in 2007. China has more wind power than any other country on earth, and is aiming for generating 190,000 MWh in 2015. They have more wind power than nuclear, in fact.

      If you are into that sort of thing they are building new nuclear too, which does at least have low emissions when operating correctly. China's is making a lot of progress with clean energy, it's just that they started from such a bad positi

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Njovich ( 553857 )

      Most Tesla buyers in Europe and the US also get it more for show than the environment.

      IMHO that's a good thing, you now have some people getting a Nissan Leaf because it makes economic sense in some situations, and some people get a Tesla because a Tesla is an awesome car. Electric cars are not just about the environment anymore, and that in the end will help the environment.

      (I'm not saying nobody gets a Tesla for the environment, but despite what people may say it's for, lets be honest, usually it isn't re

    • At least in the U.S. when trolls call electric cars pointless, I can point to the 100% wind power on my electric bill and be smug about it, or at least point out that big industrial power plants in the countryside can scrub and dilute their exhaust more efficiently than thousands of cars crammed in a little city, but in China I think the power plants right now are probably just as bad.

      The dirty secret is that every power plant in the USA is probably over its emissions targets. I know a guy who used to climb stacks for a living for the government. Literally everything he ever sampled was above legal limits. Everything. Don't get all smug about American pollution controls, they are not as strong as you think. China has all that pollution not just because of weaker pollution controls, but because they're doing our manufacturing.

      I do find it strange that the article mentions China incentivizing electric vehicles to reduce smog, while also pointing out the huge import duties Tesla has to pay.

      That's not strange or even interesting. China is actually assis

  • So, how long before I can buy a "Ta Su Lo" from one of those lock-ups in the neighborhood next Beijing's Pearl Market?
    • hen kuai

      • My favourite Chinese salesman-ism is, when encouraging you to try some food that looks, sounds or tastes a bit horrible is "...very good for you" said it a suitably serious tone.

        E.g.

        "Black dog. Very good for you"

        Or, if you have a nasty rash from eating the food or breathing the air for an extended period

        "Very good for skin".

  • "Free Trade" (Score:3, Insightful)

    by ebno-10db ( 1459097 ) on Friday January 24, 2014 @08:58PM (#46063633)

    the customs duty China uses to protect its own auto industry

    But remember, we have free trade!

    No really, all you have to do is define it such that "free trade" means the US has to bend over, while China, etc. get to do whatever they want to protect their industries.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by emm-tee ( 23371 )
      "U.S. sugar industry has enjoyed trade protection since 1789 when Congress enacted the first tariff against foreign-produced sugar"

      http://sugarcane.org/global-po... [sugarcane.org]

      • Congratulations, you've identified one agricultural product where the US has ridiculous tariffs. Another is orange juice. If you actually consider all agricultural tariffs, the ones in the US are quite low. China's are higher, and the EU's higher still.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by dk20 ( 914954 )
        Dont forget "COOL" (Country of Origin Labelling) designed to protect domestic meat production.

        http://www.wto.org/english/tra... [wto.org]

    • No really, all you have to do is define it such that "free trade" means the US has to bend over, while China, etc. get to do whatever they want to protect their industries.

      If there was a problem with import taxes on autos, we'd complain to the WTO and get a ruling.
      Even "free trade" needs someone with the authority to regulate it.

    • The US also has the "chicken tax" that adds a whopping 25% tariff on small pickup trucks and vans imported into the US.

    • When the US saw its steel industry die in Pittsburgh to China, if Congress was acting towards its people, it would have enacted steel tariff. When the US saw all its industry die to China, it should have at least given tariffs high enough to protect its best 10-15% of industry. But of course, the whole plan isn't to protect US workers, but to get profit margins at the top to record levels. People with too much money get a perverse sense of satisfaction for breaking up unions, and no better way to break u

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by m00sh ( 2538182 )

      the customs duty China uses to protect its own auto industry

      But remember, we have free trade!

      No really, all you have to do is define it such that "free trade" means the US has to bend over, while China, etc. get to do whatever they want to protect their industries.

      Are you joking? We don't allow China to get our technology. The US government blocks Chinese buyouts of American companies.

      It's definitely not one sided as you perceive it to be. They protect their domestic market. We protect our technology.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Osgeld ( 1900440 )

        yea they have just been building all our tech for the last 30 years totally blind and ignorant of the designs they have been producing since the mid 80's genius

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by JanneM ( 7445 )

      US does exactly the same towards foreign car manufacturers.

      • It doesn't, though. We don't have those kind of tariffs, we have other tariffs. Except of course the 25% "chicken tax", still standing today, on light trucks. That's a real bitch because it prevents us from getting the vehicle I want most in the world, the Nissan Patrol Diesel. Oh wait, we'd also still have bullshit from the EPA preventing that motor.

  • I've never been one for thread hijacking, flaming or any of that other sort of rude online behaviour. But I just got shown the latest beta.slashdot.org. Unlike during the last attempt at reinventing the place, there doesn't seem to be a story posted about it specifically. Given how long this story has been up on the main feed, it hasn't attracted all that much commentary, so jumping in offtopic here would be less disruptive than in say the latest Google-related news.

    I know how much my fellow slashdotters

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