Is It a Copy?
Honda and Hero have been linked up in the past, but now they’re on separate sides of a recently filed lawsuit. According to The Economic Times, Honda believes Hero Electric’s new Dash scooter infringes upon the registered design of the Honda Moove scooter that Honda sold in Thailand.
There are issues on both sides of this lawsuit, making it not so much a clear case. Also, keep in mind I’m not a lawyer and not well versed, the following is just my observation. First up, Honda doesn’t sell the Moove in India, where Hero Electric plans to sell this scooter. Second, Honda’s Moove has an internal combustion engine whereas Hero Electric’s scooter is fully electric.
Honda Moove
So, Hero didn’t copy Honda’s design then, right? Well, the issue is the scooters look very, very similar. RideApart placed them side by side in its article on the issue, and well, they look the same, or at the very least, extremely similar. If you look at the front of the scooters, you’ll notice they’re essentially the same. Even the seat and grab handles look more or less the same. The only real difference is where the engine and rear-wheel are concerned.
As I said, I’m not well-versed in what is and isn’t copyright infringement when it comes to motorcycle and scooter designs, but the Hero Electric scooter sure looks like a rip off of the Honda design to me.