15 replies to this topic

[Kevin Leclair]

Well guys and gals it saddens me to bring everyone such news but SeaDooSportBoats.com is no longer legally allowed to provide manuals for the Mercury Marine product line.  Yesterday afternoon (08/01/2005) I received a formal letter in the mail from William D. Lanyi, Director of Intellectual Property at Mercury Marine which was dated (07/31/2005) requesting all Mercury Marine manuals on SeaDooSportBoats.com be taken down immediately or Mercury Marine will pursue legal action.  I wish there was more that I could "doo" to still provide the manuals for everyone but unfortunately I am in a bind and have no option but to conform with Mercury Marine and take the manuals down per their request.  So from here forward everyone will have to contact Mercury Marine directly for all their manual needs.  Again I apologize for any inconvenience this might have caused anyone.

P.S. - Here is the formal letter that I received from Mercury Marine, http://seadoosportbo.../merc/cover.pdf.  You might have to first save the PDF to your computer before you can view it.

Kind regards,
Kevin Leclair
Owner/Manager
SeaDooSportBoats.com

[R-Doo]

Kevin Leclair, on Aug 2 2005, 07:59 AM, said:

Well guys and gals it saddens me to bring everyone such news but SeaDooSportBoats.com is no longer legally allowed to provide manuals for the Mercury Marine product line.  Yesterday afternoon (08/01/2005) I received a formal letter in the mail from William D. Lanyi, Director of Intellectual Property at Mercury Marine which was dated (07/31/2005) requesting all Mercury Marine manuals on SeaDooSportBoats.com be taken down immediately or Mercury Marine will pursue legal action.  I wish there was more that I could "doo" to still provide the manuals for everyone but unfortunately I am in a bind and have no option but to conform with Mercury Marine and take the manuals down per their request.  So from here forward everyone will have to contact Mercury Marine directly for all their manual needs.  Again I apologize for any inconvenience this might have caused anyone.

P.S. - Here is the formal letter that I received from Mercury Marine, http://seadoosportbo.../merc/cover.pdf.

Kind regards,
Kevin Leclair
Owner/Manager
SeaDooSportBoats.com

Shame on Mercury for taking away the ability for an individual to work on his or her own boat without trying to make a buck on it. I think most boaters are people who like to do work or repair things on their own. Mercury will still sell their manuals to those who want to really get into the nitty gritty of the motor. The online manuals provided a quick look to maybe solving a very simple problem and getting someone back under way.
When the owners and sponsors of websites start to dictate what can and what can not be shown or posted on the site, it starts to lose credibility.  The reason most people come to this type of site is to learn .  
I guess that's why there is more than just this forum.

[jpeezy]

Kevin Leclair, on Aug 2 2005, 07:59 AM, said:

Well guys and gals it saddens me to bring everyone such news but SeaDooSportBoats.com is no longer legally allowed to provide manuals for the Mercury Marine product line.  Yesterday afternoon (08/01/2005) I received a formal letter in the mail from William D. Lanyi, Director of Intellectual Property at Mercury Marine which was dated (07/31/2005) requesting all Mercury Marine manuals on SeaDooSportBoats.com be taken down immediately or Mercury Marine will pursue legal action.  I wish there was more that I could "doo" to still provide the manuals for everyone but unfortunately I am in a bind and have no option but to conform with Mercury Marine and take the manuals down per their request.  So from here forward everyone will have to contact Mercury Marine directly for all their manual needs.  Again I apologize for any inconvenience this might have caused anyone.

P.S. - Here is the formal letter that I received from Mercury Marine, http://seadoosportbo.../merc/cover.pdf.  You might have to first save the PDF to your computer before you can view it.

Kind regards,
Kevin Leclair
Owner/Manager
SeaDooSportBoats.com

I would like to commend you for your professionalism.  This is a great web site and you handle your business well.  Stuff just happens sometimes.  Please don't let it get you down.

jpeezy

[Kevin Leclair]

jpeezy, on Aug 2 2005, 09:39 AM, said:

Kevin Leclair, on Aug 2 2005, 07:59 AM, said:

Well guys and gals it saddens me to bring everyone such news but SeaDooSportBoats.com is no longer legally allowed to provide manuals for the Mercury Marine product line.  Yesterday afternoon (08/01/2005) I received a formal letter in the mail from William D. Lanyi, Director of Intellectual Property at Mercury Marine which was dated (07/31/2005) requesting all Mercury Marine manuals on SeaDooSportBoats.com be taken down immediately or Mercury Marine will pursue legal action.  I wish there was more that I could "doo" to still provide the manuals for everyone but unfortunately I am in a bind and have no option but to conform with Mercury Marine and take the manuals down per their request.  So from here forward everyone will have to contact Mercury Marine directly for all their manual needs.  Again I apologize for any inconvenience this might have caused anyone.

P.S. - Here is the formal letter that I received from Mercury Marine, http://seadoosportbo...erc/cover.pdf.  You might have to first save the PDF to your computer before you can view it.

Kind regards,
Kevin Leclair
Owner/Manager
SeaDooSportBoats.com

I would like to commend you for your professionalism.  This is a great web site and you handle your business well.  Stuff just happens sometimes.  Please don't let it get you down.

jpeezy

Thank you, that truly means a lot.  Attached is the reply I sent back Mercury Marine regarding this issue.

Attached Files

•  ReMercuryViolation.doc   24.5K   52 downloads

[tiggerman]

I'm not shocked, it was bound to happen. Besides, there are other places that have this content- unless they got their letters too.
If you owned the copyrights to that material, and you made money selling the manuals, you would feel the same way. It was cool while it lasted. Evidently, Bombardier doesn't have a problem with their manuals on the site. Go figure....

[thumper]

I guess people can still share the manuals as long as kevin doesnt host them for downloads or promotes them - i just hope they apply the same policy to all sites that are similar.

big brother is watching you

[tiggerman]

thumper, on Aug 2 2005, 11:15 AM, said:

big brother is watching you

Always.

[thumper]

i second jpeezy - dont let them grind you down - this is still the best website for dooers  

[tiggerman]

Then I guess we shouldn't mention anything about the manuals being located here:
......Nah....... couldn't bring myself to leave it there.....
One hint though: Link can be found on JBN. Search for Mercury manual.

[thumper]

i was hoping somebody would produce the sportster 2005 manual soon - but i guess we can still host rotax manuals - assuming they dont write to kevin soon -

what it does prove tho is that a major manufacturer like mercury looks at this forum - lets hope they pick up on gripes people may have about their plant!

[Kevin Leclair]

thumper, on Aug 5 2005, 03:47 AM, said:

i was hoping somebody would produce the sportster 2005 manual soon - but i guess we can still host rotax manuals - assuming they dont write to kevin soon -

what it does prove tho is that a major manufacturer like mercury looks at this forum - lets hope they pick up on gripes people may have about their plant!

I will continue to host all SeaDoo manuals as I get them and any other manuals unless I am forced otherwise like with the Mercury manuals.

That is the truth.  At least we know our website is big enough that the manufacturers actually care what we are saying and doo'ing!  

[tiggerman]

Kevin Leclair, on Aug 5 2005, 07:42 AM, said:

That is the truth.  At least we know our website is big enough that the manufacturers actually care what we are saying and doo'ing!  

    

[Kevin Leclair]

Received this from Mercury Marine:

Quote

Attorney William Lanyi has reviewed your website,
<www.seadoosportboats.com> and finds it compliant with his request to
remove Mercury Marine's copyright material.

Joan E. Linder Cannon
Paralegal
Mercury Marine
W6250 Pioneer Road
Fond du Lac, WI 54935
PH (920) 929-5442
FAX (920) 929-5253
joan_cannon@mercmarine.com

[thumper]

lawyers - dont they just  

[fialoe]

Well done on all your work and Foul Play to Mercury for not allowing their customers acquire more information on such an important purchase. Surely manuals give advice on the best way of keeping your DOO etc. And then we have the fat cats. Many People in the legal profession are bullies not pointing any fingers.
I am disappointed in Mercury in their hard handed approach. Why did they not use this medium as a vehicle for goodwill and promote their manuals even at a nominal cost.
Anyway, keep up the brilliant work and remember what goes around comes around. It would be great if we all emailed mercury to tell them how we feel.
B

[Kevin Leclair]

fialoe, on Sep 19 2005, 09:15 AM, said:

Well done on all your work and Foul Play to Mercury for not allowing their customers acquire more information on such an important purchase. Surely manuals give advice on the best way of keeping your DOO etc. And then we have the fat cats. Many People in the legal profession are bullies not pointing any fingers.
I am disappointed in Mercury in their hard handed approach. Why did they not use this medium as a vehicle for goodwill and promote their manuals even at a nominal cost.
Anyway, keep up the brilliant work and remember what goes around comes around. It would be great if we all emailed mercury to tell them how we feel.
B

Thanks for the words of encouragement!  I like the idea of emailing Mercury and letting them know how you feel.