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Fluke Donates Multimeters To SparkFun As Goodwill Gesture
Actually, I do RTFA writes "We recently heard about the confiscation of a delivery of multimeters to SparkFun for infringing on Fluke's trademark. One common thread in the discussions was the theme that Fluke should have let that shipment through as a goodwill gesture to SparkFun and the Maker community. Well, Fluke did one better. They announced they were sending more than $30k worth of official multimeters to SparkFun for them to do whatever they want with. SparkFun is most likely going to give them away. A great example of win-win-win?"
Fluke moves from villain to hero.
$30K is cheap for good PR.
Except for the huge loss and waste of those sparkfun meters, which last I checked were still being destroyed.
Your
along with the term 'creative' used as a noun to refer to a person just rubs me the wrong way. Like someone is getting away with something whenever those terms are used.
If I was Sparkfun, I would sell the Fluke meters on e-bay to make up for the $30,000 worth of shit I lost. It would help the bottom line, and take some sales away from Fluke.
As the article notes, SparkFun isn't about to try to resell these guys, so SparkFun is still out their entire shipment. What would have been a lot more meaningful of Fluke to do would be to cancel the trademark. That being said, I love Fluke multimeters. Five years of physics labs really made me believe their unofficial motto, "If it works, it's a Fluke."
The winner is fascism, and the people are the loser. If you give with one hand what you have taken with your other, you're not behaving any more morally than I am sitting on my ass doing nothing.
Confiscate equipment because it has a particular word written on it? What the hell is wrong with society?
That's what like 3 of their multimeters?
Sad part is that $30K worth of Fluke devices means much less units than the 2000 Sparkfun was going to get. Even donating the Fluke meters would mean that less people would get multimeters. And that doesn't fix the cause, just the symptom. Trademarking a color combination and JUST that it's BS. One could conceivably trademark most color combos 1024.32 major primary colors x 32 major primary colors...enough to be able to claim trademarked color confusion.
That original $30,000 shipment was apparently 2,000 multimeters. I'm guessing that $30,000 "worth" of Fluke meters, while a nice gift, will constitute a lot fewer units, meaning fewer makers will end up getting their hands on a meter.
If you believe fluke's statement on the matter (personally I do), they didn't initiate this whole mess.
They will destroy us all. We must fight them, not assist them in their Plans.
Used to be that you trademarked your logo and your model-name. But trademarking your colors, shapes, etc. is ridiculous. How is this different from Toyota AND Honda selling yellow cars? If it looks like a Fluke, and I pick it up and see SparkFun on it, I think, "Heh, they copied Fluke's design". It's not disingenuous. They're selling an inferior product for a much smaller price to people who don't need a $3000 Fluke meter to check their robot's power relay. They're not labeling it or branding it as a Fluke. How does this harm Fluke's IP?
Fluke did a good gesture and I applaud them. What happens to the 2000 multimeters that are held up ? if they get destroyed ... its not a win in my book.
At least the did SOMETHING more than ignore the issue while stating some bullshit PR.
Dismissal is the most insidious abuse.
-- cassandra
First of all, it's not a replacement: $30K of $15 multimeters is 2000 multimeters. $30K of Fluke multimeters is 200. SparkFun would have a lot harder time selling the Flukes to recoup its expenses.
And it's a huge waste of resources. They're still needlessly destroying perfectly good and useful tools.
The non-dick thing would be to grant them a one-off trademark license under condition they work as fast as commercially reasonable to change the colors. SF have been selling them for a while; it's not like 2000 more makes that huge a difference.
Then it would be "we care about our trademark, but don't mean to blindside you; we understand that the banhammer is overpowered for this case, and won't use it as long as you're not dicking us around,".
not on my list anymore
I'm looking at a digital multimeter from Radio Shack that I bought about 5 years ago when they closed a store near me. It sure looks like the same shade of yellow...
I am Homer of Borg, resistance is - Ooo Donuts!
They didn't.. insofar as Fluke reps standing at ports waiting for a multimeter to pass by their eyes and go "Whoa, Nelly!" - or even getting a call in advance telling them that a shipment of DMMs was found that may or may not infringe.
They did... insofar as Fluke having registered for the trade dress in the first place.
They didn't... insofar as cheap knockoffs trying to copy Fluke's looks - regardless of intent there, Fluke rather they didn't - and since asking nicely tends not to work, trade dress it is.
A lot of people seem to have missed the issue in the original story anyway (even if it may have come across as an attack against Fluke based on e.g. the title).
SparkFun doesn't really mind Fluke's trade dress (other than believing it to be overly broad - they themselves deem the old SFE DMM's border to be more of an orange..). What they mind is the inflexibility of the system once you're confronted with such an issue. For example, SFE didn't appear to have any way to tell CBP that they believed the borders to be orange and thus not even run afoul of the trade dress to begin with and enter e.g. arbitration with either the CBP or with Fluke. There's also the matter of how the product gets destroyed, with only a quoted price per hour - but no indication of how long it would take. Responsible destruction would take a very long time, a shredder should take less than 30 minutes; either could easily be possible for the price cited. Then there's the whole option of 'either ship them away or have them destroyed' in the first place; No "you can store them here and adjust the product so it no longer infringes", and even if you could adjust them, the period in which you have to make that decision is rather short.
While it's easy enough to say that SFE should have done better in figuring out this could occur beforehand, that doesn't help once the issue does arise.
Some will shrug that off and say "well I guess if you have to learn the hard way...", others will contemplate the bureaucracy.
Note that this is pretty much a separate issue from whether or not the color combo should be something that you can get a trade mark/dress on in the first place, which most people focused on (next to the "if you copy a popular brand, you oughtta know this can happen" discussion).
So, SparkFun, a company in the business of selling multimeters, is now being gifted a large number of its competitors superior product. How is this a good thing? They've still lost a ton of money on their own shipment, and can't even give away the Fluke meters without likely reducing the demand for their own product, and probably making their product look bad in comparison as well. Maybe they could sell them to try to recoup some of their losses, but that risks damaging their public image.
Unless they can manage some seriously good PR spin, this looks to me kind of like SparkFun is receiving a very polite and well-spoken slap in the face by Fluke.
--- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.
A great move in a difficult situation.
"To those who are overly cautious, everything is impossible. "
In other words, a fluke.
Dear Fluke,
I use your multimeters and love them. Please allow SparkFun to have a one-time, royalty-free license to use your trademark for this batch of multimeters.
No one is going to confuse these multimeters with those of Fluke. And it will be a good-will gesture that those of us in the EE community would appreciate.
byteherder
Is that $30K cost of production, wholesale, or retail?
This last shipment was apparently $5 a multimeter, but they were probably going to sell them at over $40 a pop (random guess).
If these replacements are measured in retail price, it probably only cost the company a few hundred to manufacture them.
Troll is not a replacement for I disagree.
I may be wrong but if i understand correctly Spark fun will have to claim the flukes as income and would have to sell them much higher in price or donate them in turn.
This still does not solve of fluke trademarking COLORS in conjunction multimeters.
BTW why the hell have the allowed radio shack to carry yellow and grey meters ... oh wait the yellow and grey meters from various sources have been around for longer than the trademark which is likely due to Fluke being acquired by Danaher Corporation in 1998.
> A great example of win-win-win?
Nope. It's more like: The-government-screws-everything-up --- Sparkfun-didn't-get-the-multimeters-they-ordered --- Fluke-pays-$30K-to-fix-the-damage-the-government-caused.
When the government destroys $30K of cargo, somebody has to pay for it. So, for the government behaving the way governments do in terms of destroying personal property on a bureaucratic whim, I call that a lose.
Sparkfun got multimeters but not the ones they ordered. If you order a book on Amazon and they send you a different yet similar book, is that a win? I don't think so.
Finally, Fluke volunteers to pay the bill in what appears to be a generous PR move. It's actually a smart business decision that avoids legal liability in case Sparkfun sues, and avoids the possibility of getting dragged into a lawsuit between Sparkfun and the U.S. Customs "service". For them, this is simply the cheapest way out of this mess.
The real question is, did Fluke actually object to this shipment or did the government do this on their own? I'm not inclined to believe the U.S. Customs "service" has much knowledge of U.S. Trademark law or bothers to keep up with the rising tide of IP coming out of the USPTO.
Either way, to me this appears to be lose-lose-lose AND you get to pay for the damage while the government pats itself on the back for a job well done. What a cluster fuck. Seriously.
There was never a chance of giving away the meters to an NPO, trade school, or public school. The hardware would inevitably be as suspect as the look-alike case. I am not convinced that there is a place for the $15 multimeter even in the makerbot movement.
Any shorthand description of Fluke and its product lines will read like corporate PR. but that can't be helped.
Fluke, a subsidiary of Danaher (maker of Craftsman tools), makes handheld electronic test tools used by electricians, HVAC technicians, and engineers to install, maintain, and service electrical and electronic equipment. Its multimeters, oscilloscopes, and other devices measure current, voltage resistance, frequency, pressure, temperature, and air quality. It also makes calibrators and calibration software, waveform generators, and power harmonics meters. Its Fluke Biomedical unit makes patient simulators, diagnostic imaging, and radiation safety products, among others.
Fluke Corporation Company Profile
The cheapest Fluke multimeter I could find online sells for about $150 and is CAT III rated for 600 volts.
This category refers to measurements on hard-wired equipment in fixed installations, distribution boards, and circuit breakers. Other examples are wiring, including cables, bus bars, junction boxes, switches, socket outlets in the fixed installation, and stationary motors with permanent connections to fixed installations.
What are Measurement Categories (CAT I, CAT II, etc...)?
Because who cares about the environment, right?
the multimeter
capitalist asshole fucks
Fluke could have just as easily done nothing but they see the sparkfun community for what it is. A group of people who are technical hobbyists, a sizable number of which are probably in purchasing positions in their professional lives... I have both fluke's a Simpson, and some cheapy meters. I have cheapies in the toolboxes of my trucks where all I care about is "is this wire live" or "is there some continuity between here and ground"... I don't care about accuracy. I use my Fluke's when I want accuracy. At work we use Fluke's because they get sent out for calibration; not because they need it, but because lab policy dictates that it is so.
Maybe a few high end benchtop ones, but all their handheld DMMs (which is what this whole issue is about) are well under the $3K level. You can buy an entry-level Fluke DMM for less than $150 last I checked. Most of the mainstream models are $300-$400.
And if you actually make your living using instruments like these, they are worth every penny you pay. Even if just for the security that the thing isn't going to blow up in your face when testing mains power...
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The environmental, material, and human costs that went into making and then destroying 2000 of these things matters too. What a waste!
Next week, order some Chinese cars that look suspiciously like Bugatti Veyrons.
Fluke did their job well. Now it's up to Sparkfun.
Whoever gets those will have the experience of using a good multimeter. I have a Fluke 21 on my desk right now. It's over 20 years old. Autoranges over inputs from 1mV to 1KV. Auto power off. Runs for years on a 9V battery. Test leads have good strain reliefs and don't wear out in normal use. Finger guards on the probes so you don't slip into a live circuit. Ohms measurement still calibrated properly; goes to 0.00 if you hold the probes together tightly.
It's out of production, but its replacement, the Fluke 77-IV, sells for about $260. If you want an original Fluke 21, they're for sale for $100 on eBay. These things last for decades.
Don't lose sight of the fact that the trademark that Fluke is disputing is over-reach. Nobody put any fake FLUKE logos anywhere, and its blindingly obvious when looking at the display of this thing that you're not making a "FLUKE" measurement, but a knockoff one of mediocre quality. You could only mistake it as a Fluke from across the room. Because of that, its the round-cornered rectangle dispute again. Fluke does not "own" things that are rectangular with a yellow bottom! Not even rectangular multimeters with a yellow bottom. This is why the fashion industry has to slather everything in their logos - because you cannot trademark a black T-shirt, or a "little black dress" or a running/tennis/basketball shoe. You should not be able to trademark a rectangular box with a yellow bottom either.
In computing, "Win" has an unfortunate association with "loss", so the phrase "win-win" is ruined. This is why I always say "lin-lin" when referring to mutually profitable outcomes. Although in this case, depending on your measurements, it might also be lin-log or log-log (because everyone loves the log).
Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
As a user of some very expensive high end fluke testers and meters i am glad they made the effort to help out sparkfun. As a buyer of sparkfun kits for my own enjoyment i am glad they got a goodwill gesture in an unfortunate situation.
If more companies would bend their rules a bit we'd be a lot further ahead.
Oh Business math is so hard!
Spark fun will use the biggest number associated with the meters for the most sensation. $30k is the retail value of the $15/ea meters. That would be 2000 meters. Though the quantity of meters is irrelevant because it is always about the money. Fluke will match retail to retail. (I think the cheapest Fluke is like $150 so 200 meters max.) Fluke will give up $30k retail cost of meters but the actual cost to Fluke is the manufacturing cost which is less, maybe even half. Fluke may even choose to give up meters with the largest margin to maximize their effort instead of matching features.
The price of good PR for Fluke is more like $15k from the bottom line. PR that they couldn't buy for that money.
Sparkfun should ask Samsung about advice on look and feel issues.
Broadly, a multi-meter has an LCD screen, knob and lead inputs. How different can they really look? Any argument to back up your assertion that it's hardly accidental?
If you confuse the Sparkfun meters ($15 in cheap packaging, labeled as Sparkfun) with the Fluke ones ($4XX, labeled as Fluke and probably fancier packaging) you probably shouldn't use an meter anyway because you're dumb enough to kill yourself in the process (Fluke or no Fluke meter involved). This case has nothing to do with actual or intended confusion of trade dress.
I just came from MicroCenter in Minneapolis MN, the $14.95 DMM is for sale there.
I dabble in electronics, Fluke is a very nice MultiMeter. TheRegnirps claimed on sparkfun when Fluke was being seen in a bad light: " I used to have a high voltage supply (I used for calibrating photomultipliers) from Fluke, a 5kV supply with rotary switches all the way down to 0.1 volt steps and it was dead on. This kind of thing is not easy. "
A separate post not a reply, even stole a quote; in hopes others follow Flukes example as well as an attaboy to Fluke.
I remember reading not too long ago about a particular HVAC manifold that is used for testing systems in the field. The original one had a specific setup and specific color scheme, and was made in the USA. Eventually a Chinese company started to copy it down to the last detail (in some cases including copying the name and model number) but produced a vastly inferior product in the process.
However because some people were acquiring these crappy copies believing them to be the real thing, sales of the original one plummeted. The company very nearly went out of business through no fault their own. Eventually they were able to find who was selling the bad copies and get them to stop doing so, which helped a lot but of course internationally the copyright laws are of quite nearly no significance.
Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
I'm still somewhat puzzled that a company that praise their products as high-end precision devices is called "fluke"
What about five years down the line when neither of them are in their retail packaging and all of the logos have worn off the cheapo imitation. Are you too dumb to use a meter when you pick this up off of a bench and trust that it can actually handle 600 V without bursting into flames?
Without the SparkFun logo, anyone who has used a Fluke would look at the meter and say that it's a Fluke. This case has everything to do with trade dress:
If you want a vision of the future, imagine a youtube comments section scrolling - forever.
So if your probe fuse blows without you knowing it, and you go to check if that wire is live, you get a nice zero voltage reading, regardless of whether the circuit is dead or not. The potential consequences of this should be obvious.
Input protection for the voltage/resistance ranges of a properly designed DMM consists of gas discharge tubes, MOVs, PTC thermistors, transorbs, etc. The internal fuses are for the current ranges ONLY, and need to be the HRC type for safety.
Properly designed input protection is the FIRST place that the cheap DMM makers cut corners. The second is properly molded and sealed enclosures, to contain the shrapnel in case of a catastrophic failure. Both are required to achieve proper safety compliance for a Cat III or Cat IV meter, which is what you want for measuring mains voltage.
A good illustration of what happens to cheap meters under high energy fault conditions is here:
http://www.eevblog.com/2010/05...
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Look at Tiffany, they have trademarked a very specific shade of blue. But anyone can use other shades.
The colours "yellow" and "dark grey" aren't very specific. When does something stop being yellow and start being orange or green? When does "dark grey" become "grey" or "charcoal"?
This doesn't completely make sense (although I also believe Fluke didn't actively initiate the action).
How would the Customs/Border "Protection" guys know whether or not SparkFun had a license from Fluke? Someone at CBP must have suspected something, and made a few phone calls asking questions first. They can't (legally) just claim Trademark/dress infraction and block passage because some random employee had a feeling in his gut.
They must have contacted someone (either SparkFun or Fluke) who said SparkFun didn't have permission and that the device was infringing. The CBP guy wouldn't have just pulled up the Trademark/dress filing and in his 'expert' capacity to interpret this decided to block the shipment without verifying the current ownership/licensee chain.
If it was SparkFun that sent a poorly written response and got themselves into trouble, then so be it. But, it may have been Fluke answering a simple question without thinking about the final outcome of their action.
Think of this like having the cops turn up at your door asking if you owned the car parked across your driveway, and you simply answer no and close the door. Then later that day your daughter's boyfriend complains that you had his car towed.
As usual, the comments show the troll-like atmosphere that typically surrounds any big guy vs little guy fight. Forget the facts, the poor underdog is being trampled.
First of all, let's dissect things. It's obvious the casual viewer of the recent pair of stories has walked away thinking that Sparkfun was jobbed by Fluke. Sparkfun, IMO, has cleverly crafted the facts to make it appear they barely knew that Fluke existed before this and that this was the first time they had dealt in the cheap knockoff meter that was destroyed.
A quick visit to Sparkfuns' sales thread on this particular meter will quickly prove that they have been trafficking this cheap knockoff for over 5 years! 5 years!!! Yet the remarks made by Sparkfun and others would leave one to believe that this was the first and only time they tried to sell this meter. This leads to a couple of conclusions. 1. Sparkfun has already made some serious cash selling this item for the past half decade.
2. The fact that Sparkfun has been selling the unit for this five years or longer blows big holes in those who are spreading the dirt making Fluke out to be the big bad company that is closely watching for anyone trying to violate their trademark. In fact, unless you're somewhat of a dunce,this shows that Fluke isn't watching very closely at all and is indeed embarassed by the whole matter and is trying to show the community that they aren't the big bad bully. If they were the big bad bully, they certainly have the goods to play the part. Five years of violations would be good enough it would seem to put Sparkfun into the Sparkdead zone. Read on and you will understand why it would be easy for them to make a case. This isn't a trademark that slipped through the cracks.
Let's digress to the whole trademark issue. Anyone that knows what a Fluke meter is about and what made/makes Fluke meters the choice of professionals, knows that the yellow rubberized case molded tightly over the actual meter is one reason, perhaps the main reason, that Fluke has earned a reputation for not only being accurate, but being accurate AND tough. That is why the yellow case over the meter is the subject of the trademark. It isn't all about colors. Go read the trademark. It states; "Color(s) Claimed: Color is not claimed as a feature of the mark." Hmm. Am I stupid, or does that mean the trademark is more than just the color?
Furthermore, for those yelling and screaming about the injustice of it all, know this; AFAIK anyone can do an Ex Parte appeal at any time to challenge the trademark. In fact, if you read the entire history of this trademark, you would see that someone did file an appeal and they lost. Am I stupid, or does that indicate this trademark must have a little meat to it?
Bottom line is that this isn't some obscure trademark that Fluke slipped by an unsuspecting world only because the USPTO is manned by dummies. It's been challenged and the trademark has been upheld.
This Sparkfun meter was produced to look like a Fluke. It was produced to look like a Fluke for a reason. That reason was to enjoy the benefits of the fine reputation that Fluke enjoys because of the exceptional nature of their product. Pure and simple. And furthermore, with the literally hundreds of multimeters available to purchase in this price range, Sparkfun chose to import this meter for the same reason. To take advantage of Fluke's reputation as a manufacturer of quality goods. Alibaba has plenty of meters that don't imitate the Fluke. There is only one reason to choose this meter. Not the five or six reasons they gave. Only one reason. They know why and I know why. They can try to make it appear that they tested or tried the other meters. It's a big stretch for me to accept the one they chose just coincidentally imitates a Fluke in appearance and other items like the identical kickstand. Just a coincidence? Sure Sparkfun, sure.
I don't really blame Sparkfun for anything as far as trying to sell a cheap imitation. It happens to companies all the time. What I bl
If this isn't a prime example of why IP laws need to be tossed into the garbage i don't know what is.
Sure, its great Fluke stepped up the plate to help out, but this should have never been an issue in the first place. It's a *COLOR* ... geesh
---- Booth was a patriot ----
Fluke is too kind. I've been buying from SparkFun over the past five years, out of necessity, and I continue to be disappointed by their buggy products and poor quality. What's most egregious is that only when enough customers complain about the faults of their products, then they take absolutely forever to confirm it, and even longer to fix them.
I liked SparkFun at the start and could overlook the mistakes now and then, but they've been around long enough to make it clear that their workplace culture is "I don't care". That's why it's not surprising that in recent times they pretty much just copy other open source designs (many things from Adafruit) because it's cheap, easy money, and their poorly trained engineers get to do even less work than they did back when they were "innovating" on their own.
I still need the odd breakout board or component from them, but I strongly advise people to buy from real distributors like Mouser and DigiKey, smaller guys like Jameco, and to support other places like Adafruit. SparkFun is just a dead end with lazy engineers making crap they could care less about. These days Adafruit turned into the kind of place I had hoped SparkFun would become.
Fluke is protecting their reputation with this generous offering, but I really don't think SparkFun is worthy of it. At all.
That's only 4 flukes right:)
Compare what happens to multiple brands of cheap meters vs. a Fluke when intentionally whacked with high energy pulses:
http://www.eevblog.com/2010/05...
Notice that ALL the meters were damaged in this test. But the Fluke simply died gracefully, without exploding, catching fire, etc.
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Don't destroy the meters - change trademark to require exacting pantone colors to within 1/1000th of a specified color, also require the entire pattern to be registered, not just a single color.
We're basing the idea that the multimeter was confiscated for being yellow from what was said in a sparkfun blog post. They have an incentive to down play the violation.
Indeed, If you look at the actual USPTO filing it is clearly stated that "Color is not claimed as a feature of the mark."
I've purchased some cheap multimeters that look a lot like flukes (The way the yellow cover is shaped, the font,spacing on the dial and the curves of the plastic).
From the original article, it said, "a shipment of 2,000 multimeters was being barred from entry into the country."
So SparkFun lost 2000 times whatever they pay for a multimeter. Since they sell them for $14.95, I'll guess $7.50, so they lost $15k worth of merchandise.
From the original Slashdot article, it said, "At $15 per item, it'll cost Sparkfun $30,000, plus the $150/hr fee for destroying them.", so the destruction is an additional expense.
Fluke donated $30k *worth* of multimeters. Fluke's least expensive multimeter is the model 87, which retails for almost $500. So it sounds like Fluke is donating around 60-70 multimeters. That doesn't seem like much, especially since they probably have them made for something like $10 apiece. Here is a link on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Fluke-FLUKE-87-V-Digital-Multimeter/dp/B0002YFD1K
In Fluke's defense, the original Slashdot article said that the SparkFun multimeters are "yellowish orange", however the picture on SparkFun's site shows them in yellow, just like Fluke's. Here is the link: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9141
However, even though they both have a yellow rubber border, the SparkFun multimeters have a slightly different, flaring shape, and they big rotary switch in the center has many ranges on it, while Fluke's has a small number of ranges. Any fool could see that they are not easily confused by an EE.
Fluke makes excellent equipment, but I don't use it because my needs are not exotic and their competitors charge less than 1/10th as much.
I think Sparkfun is out either way from what I understand. They're planning on giving the Fluke ones away...
Sparkfun is out only because they CHOOSE to give stuff away. Don't cry for them, they're being made whole by the generosity of a large evil corporation, or at least that was the opinion most people had of Fluke yesterday. It's Fluke who is out either way. Either Fluke becomes this evil company that is simply trying to keep its trademark and a few people stop buying from them, or they hand out $30k and the same people who would buy from them anyway keep buying from them.
And Fluke is out for support, too. Those people who get free Fluke meters from Sparcfun aren't going to call Sparcfun when they need help with the meter. They're going to call Fluke because Fluke's name is on them.
I think that's a pretty sweet deal for Sparcfun. They violated a trademark and they're not suffering one bit from it. The company whose trademark they infringed is the one losing money.
SO there's nothing wrong with moronic trademarks? And yes despite how stupid the trademark is, SparkFun did violate it. /. already had a story in which SparkFun said, we have no way of knowing, you would have to hire or contract a group of lawyers, and experts in trademark field, in order to sift through all the trademarks to avoid violating any. Stupid trademark a yellow f'in stripe, instead your companies name being done up in some design then being printed on the multimeter.
The jest of the comments on /. --Fluke is poorly trying to save face--. All though I see others that are eating this crap up. SparkFun is out 30K, if Fluke wanted to save face they would have sent 30K in cash to SparkFun.
I can't understand the stupidity behind companies, just come out and say your Trademark is stupid, and SparkFun didn't know, but the law is the law. Especially your going to insult another company by sending them YOUR multimeters that are either the cheap line, or a few in the mid price range.
They averted bad publicity and raised awareness for the fact that customers need to pay attention that they really get a Fluke device when they want to buy one.
if your're the bursar for a school (or any other person with financial control), and a physics/electronics teacher says 'I need to get a class set of fluke multimeters', you go and get a costing, think 'oh s****' and then see something that looks exactly less the same for 1/3 of the price, from a supposedly reputable supplier and order those instead, and some poor student ends up in hospital when the cheapo blows up because it was being used for something it was never capable of, well, that could be a big issue
likewise, you join the school 5 years later, by which time all the silkscreened logos have come off, you look at it and think 'oh its a fluke, cool' and use it to check some mains (eg the usually 32/63a 3ph lines used to power dimming racks in the school theater) and it blows up and you get a zap, thats not good
wow this thread brings good memories, when I used my fluke daily (I bought the holster also!). It's been a long time since I traded my daily use of flukes and tektronic scopes by the daily use of SQL Server, Python and more recently Powershell.