It’s not uncommon for big name companies to protect their brand name with a lawsuit. Here’s why Harley-Davidson did just that with Honda in the 1990s.
Part of corporate competition has to be, sometimes, acknowledging that a competitor has had a great and/or successful idea. The next stage is determining how to leverage that without directly copying anybody’s homework. The grown-up world of trademarks and lawsuits isn’t one to be taken lightly. To venture into the roomy, comfortable world of the cruiser motorcycle, then, is to tentatively approach Harley-Davidson territory.
Now, Harley makes a lot of things besides motorcycles, and it didn’t invent the cruiser as a concept, but it’s become synonymous with this type of bike, and it takes it very seriously. When Honda’s American Classic Edition of the Shadow arrived in 1995, a version that swapped out the dual crankpin design of the existing Shadow for a single — as well as sporting a more conventional U.S. cruiser look –it was problematic for Harley’s legal team. What looks, performs, and sounds like a Harley, but isn’t one? The answer was: a lawsuit.
There were undeniable similarities, with aspects such as the shaping of the gas tank being a little too close for comfort. It was because of this, then, that legal proceedings against Honda began.
