HEXBUG was recently honored in the UK by the Mum’s Choice Awards.
HEXBUG scoops the Mum’s Choice Award at Christmas in July.
The Mum’s Choice Awards are voted for by the top ranking UK mummy bloggers who were able to test a range of entries at this year’s Christmas in July event before deciding on HEXBUG as the overall winner.
The HEXBUG Original also won the top award in the gadget category.
The HEXBUG Bridge Battle Habitat Set received the Tillywig Summer 2011 “Top Fun” Award last month.
For those of you unfamiliar with HEXBUG Nanos, these tiny, collectible, robotic creatures scurry and explore, wending their way across floors, tables, through mazes, and most amazingly, within their own customizable habitats. The HEXBUG Nano Bridge Battle is a brilliant extension of prior Habitat Sets. Why? Because it’s natural to want to pit these guys against one another. We’ve seen kids (and adults) contrive all manner of competition just for a shot at declaring their Nano the supreme HEXBUG champion. The Bridge Battle Set literally takes things to a whole new level, as Nano owners place their bugs on either side of an elevated arena which they enter through one-way gates. Once there, they chase, nudge, and bump one another until one is knocked over the edge to the lower level. But just because you win round 1 doesn’t mean you’ll win round 2, 3, 12, 36, or round 100! The set comes with 2 scrappy, high energy Nanos and 29 easy-connect pieces!
View the complete list of winners here.
Lawsuits and Investigations Target UK Copycats Raising Total to Over 1,000 Successful Enforcement Actions Worldwide
Warrington, United Kingdom – May 5, 2011 – Innovation First International is pleased to report numerous victories in its fight against a global surge of knock-off and counterfeit products that imitate the company’s highly successful HEXBUG® Nano™ brand toys. The company continues to be successful in courtroom litigation, having resolved yet another lawsuit filed last year, this time against UK based company 50 Fifty Gifts (UK) Ltd, its principal Ali Mafi and affiliated entities. Since the launch of its aggressive campaign last year, the company reports over 1,000 successful enforcement actions to date worldwide. Across Europe, Spin Master Ltd., the European distribution partner for HEXBUG serves as a key ally in the fight against knock-off producers, leveraging its extensive network of investigators, enforcement agents and legal teams.
The case against 50 Fifty Gifts (UK) Ltd, its principal Ali Mafi and others, claimed trade dress infringement; injury to business reputation; and common law unfair competition; unjust enrichment and other wrongful conduct in offering knock-offs. Key terms of the settlement include the transfer of ownership of the “Kreep-Es” brand to Innovation First, and the transfer of all worldwide intellectual property rights owned by 50 Fifty Gifts in the “Kreep-Es” to Innovation First. Further, 50 Fifty Gifts agreed to cease the design, manufacture and sale of the “Kreep-Es” products and vibrating locomotion toys immediately. 50 Fifty Gifts must also deliver the molds, dies and tooling used for creating Kreep-Es to Innovation First in China.
“Our successful enforcement actions coupled with the 50 Fifty Gifts settlement are significant steps in our ongoing global campaign to protect our world-recognized HEXBUG® Nano™ brand, said Tony Norman, president and chief executive officer of Innovation First International. “The toy industry is notorious for breeding copycats of hot products, and we know that retailers become a part of the problem when they place knock-off artists’ products on store shelves. This practice stifles innovation, and we won’t hesitate to file suit against retailers or anyone else in the supply chain who infringes our intellectual property.”
In February of this year, Innovation First resolved a lawsuit filed last May against Urban Trend, LLC. The case, filed in United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, claimed trade dress infringement, violations of the Lanham Act and other wrongful conduct in offering knock-offs. Key terms of the settlement included a cash payment to Innovation First, the transfer of ownership of the “i-insect” brand to Innovation First, and the transfer of all worldwide intellectual property rights owned by Urban Trend in the “i-insect” to Innovation First. Further, Urban Trend agreed to cease the design, manufacture and sale of the “i-insect” products and vibrating locomotion toys immediately. Urban Trend also delivered the molds, dies and tooling used for creating i-insect to Innovation First in China.
Notes to editors:
For more information please contact Sarah Jackson at Cohn & Wolfe on 020 7331 5448 or at sarah.jackson@cohnwolfe.com
About HEXBUG and Innovation First:
HEXBUG® is a product line developed by Innovation First Inc., and distributed and marketed internationally by Innovation First Trading, Inc., both wholly owned subsidiaries of privately held Innovation First International, Inc. The company was founded on the belief that innovation very early in the design process is necessary to produce simple and elegant product designs. Innovation First began developing electronics for unmanned mobile ground robots and is now an industry leader in research and development for the hobby, competition, education and toy markets. Innovation First International’s three main subsidiaries, VEX Robotics, Inc., Innovation First Labs, Inc. (makers of HEXBUG® Micro Robotic Creatures), and RackSolutions, Inc. span the education, consumer and business-to-business markets. The VEX® Robotics Design System is the leading platform for middle school and high school education and competitive robotics. Leveraging the company’s core competency in electrical and mechanical engineering, the RackSolutions® division works closely with all major computer OEMs to provide custom mounting solutions and industry-wide rack compatibility for data installations of all sizes.
In the 2009 the company added offices in Hong Kong, China and the United Kingdom to better serve the global marketplace. This network was expanded to Canada in 2010 with the addition of an office, warehouse and distribution center located in Toronto. With an advanced in-house metal fabrication plant, distribution center and corporate office located together in a 13-acre complex in Greenville, Texas, the company is poised to continue on a rapid growth path. Please visit www.innovationfirst.com for additional information.
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Download a PDF of this release here.
Glow-in-the-dark HEXBUG Nanos and the new glow-in-the-dark HEXBUG Nano Habitat Set was featured online by Time Magazine as one of the ’15 Smartest Toys for Young Geniuses’
Programmed to behave like real bugs, the creepy, crawly Hexbug robots are an educational toy in a futuristic disguise. After designing habitats for their high-tech bugs to scrabble around in, kids are encouraged to go online to register their bots where they’ll learn real-life insect and habitat facts. This year, the company is rolling out a line of glow-in-the-dark Nanos for a peek at the nocturnal life of insects.
The HEXBUG Nano Habitat Set was named Specialty Toy of the Year by the Toy Industry Association over the weekend as the 2011 American International Toy Fair Kicked off in New York.
A Toy Industry Association, Inc. (TIA)-administered event in support of the Toy Industry Foundation, the gala served as the kick-off to the 108th American International Toy Fair. Held in The Allen Room at New York City’s Jazz at Lincoln Center, the evening paid tribute to the best in toys and children’s entertainment and the outstanding achievements made by individuals and companies.
Recognizing an outstanding toy that is distributed primarily through specialty toy retailers, the Specialty Toy of the Year was presented to the HEXBUG® Nano Habitat Set by Innovation First Labs, Inc.
Thanks to all HEXBUG fans for their support in voting for the TOTY Award.
Lawsuits and investigations lead to over 1,000 successful enforcement actions worldwide
New York – February 13, 2011 – On the morning of the American International Toy Fair in New York, Innovation First International is pleased to report numerous victories in its fight against a global surge of knock-off and counterfeit products that imitate the company’s highly successful HEXBUG® NanoTM brand toys. Since the launch of an aggressive campaign last year, the company reports over 1,000 successful enforcement actions thus far worldwide. At the recent Hong Kong, London and Nuremburg toy fairs, the company was successful at removing copycat products from the displays of over 40 separate infringing companies. Additionally, numerous websites and wholesale trade portals have removed products found to be in violation.
Innovation First has also been successful in courtroom litigation, having successfully resolved the lawsuit filed last May against Urban Trend, LLC. The case, filed in United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, claimed trade dress infringement, violations of the Lanham Act and other wrongful conduct in offering knock-offs. Key terms of the settlement include a cash payment to Innovation First, the transfer of ownership of the “i-insect” brand to Innovation First, and the transfer of all worldwide intellectual property rights owned by Urban Trend in the “i-insect” to Innovation First. Further, Urban Trend agreed to cease the design, manufacture and sale of the “i-insect” products and vibrating locomotion toys immediately. Urban Trend will also deliver the molds, dies and tooling used for creating i-insect to Innovation First in China.
“The successful enforcement actions along with the Urban Trend settlement are significant steps in our ongoing global campaign to protect our HEXBUG® NanoTM intellectual property,” said Tony Norman, president and chief executive officer of Innovation First International, Inc. “Along with our litigation victory, we are pleased with our recent successes in removing knock-off products from the internet and from the floor of the major international toy fairs. We will continue aggressively to pursue any and all violators who infringe our intellectual property, and we intend to police the upcoming New York Toy Fair for violators.”
Another major asset in the war on knock-offs is the new European distribution partner for HEXBUG®, Spin Master Ltd. The global brand building power of Spin Master now gives the HEXBUG® NanoTM visibility throughout Europe, making knock-off products less appealing to retailers. Spin Master assembled an extensive worldwide network of investigators, enforcement agents and legal teams during their successful three year battle against knock-offs of the Bakugan Toy and Entertainment property. This network has recently been made available to Innovation First, and Innovation First has obtained outstanding initial results using this network against knock-off producers.
“We are very pleased to be partnering with a great brand like HEXBUG®, and a highly creative company like Innovation First,” said Anton Rabie, president and chief executive officer of Spin Master. “We have a vested interest in the success of HEXBUG® and have given Innovation First full access to all of our resources in this important fight against HEXBUG® knock-offs.”
Additionally, lawsuits filed last year, asserting claims for common law misappropriation, unjust enrichment and violations of other intellectual property rights, remain pending against companies accused of manufacturing, advertising, promoting, distributing and/or selling products that were derived from innovative components of the HEXBUG® NanoTM micro robotic toy. These matters have been, and will continue to be pursued aggressively. Although legal battles will continue through the court system, consumers may have already rendered their verdict as offending product is starting to show up on clearance shelves. Innovation First has also pursued, and will continue to pursue, patent protection for the HEXBUG® NanoTM. The product is extremely unique in form and function, which lends to the very broad and defendable copyrights, trademarks, design and utility patents that Innovation First is seeking and has obtained.
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About HEXBUG and Innovation First:
HEXBUG® is a product line developed by Innovation First Inc., and distributed and marketed by Innovation First Labs, Inc., both wholly owned subsidiaries of privately held Innovation First International, Inc. The company was founded on the belief that innovation very early in the design process is necessary to produce simple and elegant product designs. Innovation First began developing electronics for unmanned mobile ground robots and is now an industry leader in research and development for the hobby, competition, education and toy markets.
Innovation First International’s three main subsidiaries, VEX Robotics, Inc., Innovation First Labs, Inc. (makers of HEXBUG® Micro Robotic Creatures), and RackSolutions, Inc. span the education, consumer and business-to-business markets. The VEX® Robotics Design System is the leading platform for middle school and high school education and competitive robotics. Leveraging the company’s core competency in electrical and mechanical engineering, the RackSolutions® division works closely with all major computer OEMs to provide custom mounting solutions and industry- wide rack compatibility for data installations of all sizes.
In the 2009 the company added offices in Hong Kong, China and the United Kingdom to better serve the global marketplace. This network was expanded to Canada in 2010 with the addition of an office, warehouse and distribution center located in Toronto. With an advanced in-house metal fabrication plant, distribution center and corporate office located together in a 13-acre complex in Greenville, Texas, the company is poised to continue on a rapid growth path. Please visit www.innovationfirst.com for additional information.
Steals, Deals & Life has a review of the HEXBUG Nano and Habitat Set and is giving away a HEXBUG Nano:
I have three little girls and my older two are pretty girly when it comes to certain things, however that doesn’t stop them from playing outside and they definitely don’t mind getting dirty. In fact my three year old has an obsession with BUGS! Anything and EVERTHING bugs she loves! Just about everything she got for Christmas this year was bug themed. Of course having girls is my thing, I’m definitely not a want to go outside and get dirty kind of girl and when my daughter wants to touch all the bugs outside (especially the slugs) it grosses me out so I was extremely excited when HEXBUG offered to send me some of their products to try out!
HEXBUG Nano and the HEXBUG Nano Habitat set were recently featured on Mashable in their Education Gadgets feature:
HEXBUG Nano bugs are robotic creatures that are programmed to behave like real bugs. Beyond just satisfying childrens’ desires for creepy-crawlies, the Nano bugs teach kids about science. Children can design and build habitats for their Nano bugs and register them online (where there are more learning resources). The collectability of the range and pocket-money prices of the expandable system means you might also be able to use the Nano bugs as a way to teach Junior about the importance of saving up for something he wants.
HEXBUG was recently featured in an article on TMC’s Info Tech Spotlight.
I was enjoying a busy day of holiday shopping at the local mall when I walked by an intriguing display full of robotic bugs. Since I am something of a techie and also the office expert on Robobees, I decided to do a closer inspection.
The robotic bugs, called HEXBUGS, are marketed as “Micro Robotic Creatures,” and are sold by Innovation First Labs, Inc.. And I am not the only one who finds HEXBUGS kind of cool – the product earned slot number seven on Dr Toy’s Ten Best Children’s Products of 2010 list.
The battery-powered HEXBUGS come in a variety of different options, including an inchworm, crab, ant, nano and original models. They are equipped with sensors that allow them to react to light, sound and of course… one and other.
The HEXBUG Nano Habitat Set has been named a top 10 creative toy by Dr. Toy.
This unique guide to the Top Ten Best Products in 8 categories is offered to complement your observations and to help you in selecting the right products to enhance play and learning. We make buying decisions based on lasting play value and product applicability to children’s active, creative, and educational experiences. We can depend on the durability and versatility of such items as blocks, construction toys, games, puppets, and transportation toys. They stimulate the imagination, engage the player, have value, and hold up over time. She wants to apply these standards to all the choices we make.
