December 11/13 14:18 pm - Owners of Specialized & Cafe Roubaix Meet at Store

Posted by Editor on 12/11/13
 

We can now confirm that Mike Sinyard, founder of Specialized, has had a face-to-face meeting with Dan Richter of the Cafe Roubaix Bicycle Studio, to end the controversy over the use of the word 'Roubaix'.  Sinyard flew to Calgary last night and headed out to Cochrane, Alberta, to personally meet with Richter privately.  We have learned that Specialized will relinquish its objections to Richter's use of the word Roubaix in his business.

As we reported earlier, Specialized informed Richter that they hold the Canadian trade mark for Roubaix as it relates to bicycles and components, and told him he had to stop using it.  After this was reported first in the Calgary Herald and then worldwide, it unleashed a storm of social media condemnation on Specialized.

Richter wrote last night on his Facebook page that he had talked on the telephone with Sinyard, but the head of Specialized decided to pay a personal visit to convey his disappointment over the matter.