In order to protect its SpeedMixer® brand and prevent consumer injury, Hauschild GmbH & Co. KG has taken affirmative, global action to stop FlackTek, Inc. and its related companies from misappropriating Hauschild’s “SpeedMixer” brand and preventing consumers from access to genuine Hauschild parts and service. Hauschild has filed suit in the US, a civil proceeding in the Netherlands, as well as a criminal proceeding in Spain, against FlackTek and its various agents. The proceedings allege, among other things, intellectual property infringement and unfair trade practices acts, as well as theft in the criminal proceeding.
Until May 2020, US-based FlackTek Inc. had served as an authorized distributor of Hauschild’s genuine SpeedMixer machines, which core technology was invented by Hauschild’s founder, Gerd- Ulrich Schmidt, and manufactured exclusively in Germany since the 1970s. In 2020, the parties agreed to terminate their relationship, ending FlackTek’s status as an authorized distributor of genuine SpeedMixer machines. FlackTek then released a competing product under the SpeedMixer mark without Hauschild’s consent or knowledge. As a result, Hauschild was forced to file a lawsuit in the United States District Court in Colorado against FlackTek and its affiliates, FlackTek Manufacturing, Inc. and FlackTek SpeedMixer, Inc., arising out of their attempts to misappropriate and infringe Hauschild’s SpeedMixer trademark and to unfairly compete against Hauschild.
While the lawsuit was pending in Colorado, FlackTek doubled-down on its wrongful conduct, including issuing in November 2021 a press release misleading consumers into believing that FlackTek continues to be an authorized service representative of Hauschild’s SpeedMixer machines.
Genuine Hauschild SpeedMixer® machines should only be serviced by authorized service representatives using genuine Hauschild parts and technology, as this is the only way to ensure Hauschild SpeedMixer® machines operate at manufacturer-supported, high-quality standards. Consumers should be warned that, if approached by a FlackTek representative, genuine Hauschild SpeedMixer® machines do not need to be replaced by FlackTek’s new machines, which are not made in Germany and are not backed or supported by Hauschild, and do not use genuine Hauschild parts.
“Hauschild is committed to ensuring that consumers receive access to genuine Hauschild parts and service from authorized representatives throughout the World, as well as the benefit of decades of design and engineering experience in Germany,” says Fabio Boccola, CEO of Hauschild.
Hauschild Engineering continues supporting the customers in the territories previously covered by FlackTek Inc. and its affiliates. The headquarters of Hauschild Engineering’s U.S. affiliate in the USA is in Detroit. More distributors, and representatives all over the world are listed on the Hauschild Website hauschild-speedmixer.com. Hauschild Engineering can guarantee the worldwide supply of original Hauschild SpeedMixer® equipment, spare parts, as well as all other consumables for existing and new Hauschild Engineering’s machines.
Gerd Ulrich Schmidt, inventor of the Hauschild SpeedMixer® and founder of the worldwide renowned company, says: “I had to reach the age of seventy-two years to experience the betrayal of a person that I always considered and treated like a brother. FlackTek’s owner took advantage of two decades of unconditioned support and of the know-how that my team and I have transferred to his company. He has been planning to copy my machines since 2017. He induced Hauschild to the termination of our collaboration and now he is blaming Hauschild management only to justify his unethical and deplorable behavior.”
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