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Specialized successfully defends Horst link patent against Scott USA
For all of you American riders who were looking forward to jumping on a Scott Genius for the coming season, you don’t have to hold your breath any longer. Because it ain’t going to happen. According to a story published on the Bicycle Retailer and Industry News website, Scott USA has conceded defeat in an 18 month legal battle with Specialized bikes.
If you live outside of the United States, chances are pretty decent that you’ll be able to find the Genius since Specialized’s patent rights on the element that was at the the root of the disagreement — the Horst linkage — do not extend beyond American borders. The history of the dispute between Specialized and Scott is well covered on a recent article on Bike Magazine, so if you’re interested in the ins-and-outs of the affair, I suggest you head over there.
What does this mean for Scott USA? Mostly, it means that there won’t be a Scott frame that falls into the 3″to 5″ full suspension category for 2006. Scott claims that they’ll re-enter that segment of the market with a new frame design for 2007, so if you’re looking for a Genius-equivalent you’ll have to wait until then.
1. Posted by Dream cross country bikes » The Biking Hub | 7:04 am, 26 January 2006
[…] This truly is the holy grail of cross country race platforms. This bike is not available in the US because of patent and copyright reasons, and if you want to pick one up on this side of the border, it will set you back a staggering five figures, making it one of the most expensive production bikes in the world. […]