Ovington Laser

Originally posted by JimC ILCA 1. International Laser Class Association. Certificates boats built by long term Australian and Japanese builders plus new builders entering the market eg Devoti, Ovington. 2. New class name for boats certificated by the ILCA. TLC The Laser Class Organisation set up, apparently with money from Laser Performance LLC, by some disaffected officers from ILCA and other national laser class associations. Talks big about becoming a new international class, but that won't happen unless ILCA actually collapses since World Sailing won't support two CAs. Certificates new Laser Performance LLC Lasers. LP Probably Laser Performance LLC. US registered company that builds dinghies using the Laser trademark in Europe. Set up fairly recently. LPE Laser Performance Europe. Dormant company that used to build Lasers. No capital, no employees. Lost long running court case and owes millions in fines. FRAND Principle resulting from European competition legislation that has the effect of requiring Olympic class dinghies to be able to be sold by new vendors under fair and reasonable terms from the intellectual property owners.

Thanks Jim, so TLC, is that a rogue organisation set up by the previous incumbents of Laser Production? In reality how are anybody really going to know which is which, especially considering the usual dinghy owners propensity for least cost routing to hardware acquisition.

ILCA
1. International Laser Class Association. Certificates boats built by long term Australian and Japanese builders plus new builders entering the market eg Devoti, Ovington.
2. New class name for boats certificated by the ILCA.

TLC
The Laser Class
Organisation set up, apparently with money from Laser Performance LLC, by some disaffected officers from ILCA and other national laser class associations. Talks big about becoming a new international class, but that won't happen unless ILCA actually collapses since World Sailing won't support two CAs. Certificates new Laser Performance LLC Lasers.

LP
Probably Laser Performance LLC. US registered company that builds dinghies using the Laser trademark in Europe. Set up fairly recently.

LPE
Laser Performance Europe. Dormant company that used to build Lasers. No capital, no employees. Lost long running court case and owes millions in fines.

FRAND
Principle resulting from European competition legislation that has the effect of requiring Olympic class dinghies to be able to be sold by new vendors under fair and reasonable terms from the intellectual property owners.

Edited by JimC - 03 Oct 20 at 5:17pm

Totally agree, just pointing out that most club fleets don’t have written rules linking them to ILCA so it would be dodgy ground banning TLC boats joining in.  

A new LP boat is a class legal boat, but for the TLC class rather than the ILCA class. I wonder how many clubs have rules so carefully worded that they allow one and prohibit the other in what might generically be called the “Laser fleet”.  I know mine doesn’t. 

It’s not a replica Laser though, is it?  It’s a genuine Laser, just not an ILCA boat.