Ovington Laser

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. 

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.  

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

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.

Originally posted by iGRF Thanks Jim, so TLC, is that a rogue organisation set up by the previous incumbents of Laser Production? .

Its awfully hard to separate fact, fiction and propaganda, but my impression is that there was a faction in ILCA and the Italian Laser Association that strongly disagreed with dumping Laser Performance LLC, and its that faction that has set up this organisation. Those folks are presumably the ones who had the closest ties with the Laser Performance companies, and LP were doubtless happy to assist them.

There's a lot of complicated history. One is that there have, I understand, recently been big disagreements within the Italian Laser CA which involved the long standing CA being unrecognised by the Italian National authority and being replaced by a new Association that was set up in competition. Another is that Laser Performance fairly recently had a big row with the International Sunfish Class Association (LP build the Sunfish) and set up an alternate Sunfish Assoc on the lines of TLC, but that was abandoned when they made up relations with the real Sunfish CA.