What`s Up With Clay??????

[imported_turbomangt]

I tried to buy clay today only to find 2 of my suppliers were shut down due to some law suit? this is weird? I guess I`m in a bubble, clay magic sueing everyone? I need to get some clay, small bars, 100 grams. any leads of companies appreciated. ? gary

[tustah]

I usually find these:



Clay Magic - Autozone

Mother`s - Autozone, Advance Auto Parts

Meguiar`s - O`Reily



Clay Magic and Meguiar`s for about $10, Mother`s for about $17

[EMazda3S]

There`s a recent thread where David B mentions that there is only ONE clay company left and they supply everyone to spec and color. This is due to the lawsuits ou mention.



http://autopia.org/forum/showthread.php?t=71633



I can always find Clay Magic, Mothers and Meguiars locally.



Eric

[BobD]

I know one of the product lines I sell will be pulling their clay bars soon.

[imported_turbomangt]

I can`t afford to buy retail, I need wholesale leads. I buy 50-100 at a time. I guess I should contact dave on this one, I hope I don`t have to drop my pantss.gary

[EMazda3S]

I know one of the product lines I sell will be pulling their clay bars soon.



Do you think the price of clay will go up due to all of these lawsuits?!

(And why is Mother`s priced so high with the smallest clay bar?!!) Crazy.





Eric

[imported_Bence]

Clay Magic (AWC) is a bit strange, and the fact that they winning lawsuits is even stranger. Based on their reasons (it has the form of a bar, it is a very similar or same material, etc.), today only Mercedes-Benz would be the only legit automaker because others just copied the general appearance and propulsion system of the original Patent Motorwagen...



More than disgusting!

[the other pc]

Karl Benz was selling cars in 1885 (before the latter company`s namesake, Mercedes Jellinek, was born). The patents expired a long, long time ago.



The US patents on finish care clay are dated 1998. AutoWax can milk it for a few more years before the market becomes a free-for-all.





PC.

[the other pc]

Do you think the price of clay will go up due to all of these lawsuits?!...Not go up, stay up. AutoWax is in control.






...And why is Mother`s priced so high with the smallest clay bar...Because they can.





PC.

[imported_Bence]

Karl Benz was selling cars in 1885 (before the latter company`s namesake, Mercedes Jellinek, was born). The patents expired a long, long time ago.



The US patents on finish care clay are dated 1998. AutoWax can milk it for a few more years before the market becomes a free-for-all.





PC.





Of course, but obviously M-B is the descendant brand... :cool:

[miked2]

I`m a patent lawyer, and am generally pro-patent on things. The idea of limited-term patent protection is that it rewards companies that do R&D and take a risk with a new product. So, Automagic/Claymagic did the initial R&D, did the marketing to convince people to use clay, and now get to reap the benefits for a limited time (even though the patent was issued in 1998, it would expire 20 years from the day of filing -- probably was filed 1995/96, so you`re looking at 2015/2016).



I think what would be more unfair is for Claymagic to have worked really hard on clays, brought it to market, built the market (i.e., convinced people to use it), and then everyone else copied it to Claymagic`s detriment.



I don`t know the details of their licensing, etc., but at first gloss it appears the system is working the way it`s supposed to here. Claymagic did not patent the technology with the idea that they wouldn`t make a product themselves -- they sell one of these products. Furthermore, rather than shutting everyone else down, they are getting a "reasonable royalty" in licensing fees on their invention. This is very different than the Blackberry patent situation that I`m sure most of you are aware of.



The idea here is to encourage people to take risks with new products, be they car care or otherwise. The big question is, if Claymagic wouldn`t have come out with clay, would another manufacturer have done so? Here, it does appear that Claymagic started the market, and everyone else jumped on. Ultimately everybody wins -- consumers, because they get to use clay, which is a superior product; Claymagic, which gets licensing fees; and, all the other clay sellers, which still make money on the clay.



I`ll get off my soap box now! :)



- Mike.

[imported_Bence]

For me a classic plastic clay is totally different than a newer elastic clay... Call it Paint Doh or roll it into a ball and voila, a Clay Ball or whatever...

[Accumulator]

Bence- Yeah, I miss the other stuff, like the original "Block". It was my favorite for certain jobs.



Miked2- What you said :xyxthumbs People (whom I`d call "second-handers") will make bucks off the knock-offs soon enough.