Werner Paddles claims a Chinese manufacturer has stolen its intellectual property and is attempting to use Werner paddles images and names to sell their own paddles into the U.S. and other markets.

“Theft is the sincerest form of flattery, I suppose. However, we want to alert our dealers to this activity and warn them about whatever scam these guys are up to,” says Werner President, Bruce Furrer.

Werner claims that Chinese Manufacturer UC Sports has stolen “the look and feel” of Werner Paddles Web site and “are using Werner Paddle model names and images to create interest in their sub-standard offerings.”
“We are pursuing legal recourse, to whatever degree it exists, to get this group to stop using our logo, images and names,” says Furrer.

Werner has no licensing agreements with any manufacturer to produce Werner paddles. “All Werner paddles are hand built in the United States, in Sultan Wash,, and we are very proud of our heritage and reputation. To have this type of identity theft is a serious violation to us and our dealers who represent us so well,” says Furrer.

An attempt to contact UC Sports was unsuccessful, but suspiciously enough, the paddle images and logos on company’s Web site (www.ucsport.cn/index.html) seem to have been removed, yet images for other product categories are loading properly. Evidently, UC Sports caught word or Werner’s complaints.