[biz-engineer]

I do wonder, if Hoya or Ricoh did allow such brand naming.

Guess why there is also an under water shell for the Ricoh Theta

[RonHendriks1966]

Pentax ownership belongs to HOYA, the right to use belongs to Ricoh, and the lease contract expires in 2020.
Maybe this is why Ricoh does not continue to develop Pentax.

Time for the Ricoh K1.

[taktoon]

Time for the Ricoh K1.

Zero problems with this name.

[Belnan]

Pentax ownership belongs to HOYA, the right to use belongs to Ricoh, and the lease contract expires in 2020.
Maybe this is why Ricoh does not continue to develop Pentax.

Very Interesting, so Pentax is definately doomed.

[Mistral75]

Pentax ownership belongs to HOYA, the right to use belongs to Ricoh, and the lease contract expires in 2020.
Maybe this is why Ricoh does not continue to develop Pentax.

Ouch! This is a very bad piece of news.

I'm sorry, Ooku, but this guy who began to clumsily take pictures with his father's Spotmatic II in 1972 cannot give a 'like' to your post, even though I very much appreciate your sharing your knowledge.

[RonHendriks1966]

Ouch! This is a very bad piece of news.

Just a glacé into the future:

Ricoh-Imaging

1. Ricoh Theta 360 camera line
2. Ricoh GR streetcamera line
3. Ricoh WG rugged camera line
4. Ricoh K-mount fullframe camera line

Looks enough to me.

[Sandy Hancock]

Pentax K-mount line

I fixed it for you.

She'll be right mate.

[Sandy Hancock]

Oh yeah, you left out medium format too.

[Kunzite]

Ouch! This is a very bad piece of news.

Actually it's not news at all - but perfect material to start some FUD.
We have no reason to believe that Ricoh bought Pentax Imaging Systems, decided to launch a FF product line, launches high-end products like the 645z, K-1, D FA* 50mm f/1.4, DA* 11-18mm, all this - but they'd suddenly stop in 2020 and gave up on the brand.
Because it makes no sense.

[Mistral75]

The Italians have the best weather resistant Pentax products:
https://www.pentax-pumps.it/en

I do wonder, if Hoya or Ricoh did allow such brand naming.

This is class 7 ('machines, machine tools, power-operated tools; motors and engines, except for land vehicles; machine coupling and transmission components, except for land vehicles; agricultural implements, other than hand-operated hand tools; incubators for eggs; automatic vending machines'), not class 9, therefore Hoya haven't any say (nor do Ricoh).

An Italian company named Pentax S.p.A. located near Verona (Veneto region) has trademarked Pentax and the following figurative mark



in Australia, Canada, Chile, Egypt, Europe, Indonesia, Kuwait, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Tunisia for 'hydraulic and centrifugal pumps, with the exclusion of those for boat engines and for diesel engines larger than 10 hp.'

There is also a German company named DIEWE - Diamantwerkzeuge GmbH, located near Augsburg (Bavaria), that has trademarked Pentax and a different figurative mark



in class 7 (and 8) but with a different scope: 'diamond tools and abrasive tools (parts of machines); machines to be used with abrasive tools; motors and engines (except for land vehicles).'

[Mistral75]

Actually it's not news at all - but perfect material to start some FUD.
We have no reason to believe that Ricoh bought Pentax Imaging Systems, decided to launch a FF product line, launches high-end products like the 645z, K-1, D FA* 50mm f/1.4, DA* 11-18mm, all this - but they'd suddenly stop in 2020 and gave up on the brand.
Because it makes no sense.

The piece of news (or the piece of rumour coming from a fellow member that has proven right in many occasions) is that the licence agreement should end in 2020. I presume this is the term agreed upon in 2010 when Hoya and Ricoh were discussing the transfer of Pentax Imaging Systems and I know that such an agreement can be extended but still...

I don't understand why you immediately jumped to the conclusion that Ricoh would stop in 2020, except to prove that, since this makes no sense, the whole thing makes no sense either and should be dismissed.

Ricoh could perfectly keep on selling the same products under the Ricoh brand name. This is common practice for any business. Minolta cameras and lenses became Sony camera and lenses overnight.

This would be fine for people who have lot of K-mount gear and 645 mount gear but I would still feel sad because I'm sentimentally attached to the Pentax brand. Heck, I am still attached to the Asahi Pentax and Takumar brand names. Call me an old sentimental fool if you want, I don't care. I am who I am.

[Chris Mak]

The piece of news (or the piece of rumour coming from a fellow member that has proven right in many occasions) is that the licence agreement should end in 2020. I presume this is the term agreed upon in 2010 when Hoya and Ricoh were discussing the transfer of Pentax Imaging Systems and I know that such an agreement can be extended but still...

I don't understand why you immediately jumped to the conclusion that Ricoh would stop in 2020, except to prove that, since this makes no sense, the whole thing makes no sense either and should be dismissed.

Ricoh could perfectly keep on selling the same products under the Ricoh brand name. This is common practice for any business. Minolta cameras and lenses became Sony camera and lenses overnight.

This would be fine for people who have lot of K-mount gear and 645 mount gear but I would still feel sad because I'm sentimentally attached to the Pentax brand. Heck, I am still attached to the Asahi Pentax and Takumar brand names. Call me an old sentimental fool if you want, I don't care. I am who I am.

If true, then of course, Ricoh can simply put "Ricoh" on the Pentax equipment (like they did already on the back of the K3), and continue to sell it. It does make me wonder though, if the total absence of new Pentax material (other than filling in long standing promises from the lens road map) at this CP+ and also at 2018's Photokina, is in any way related to this ending leasing contract of the Pentax brand name.....
Might the next new K-mount body be in fact a Ricoh camera? And last Photokina and this CP+ both events to get us used to the Ricoh brand name and to Ricoh products? Why is it otherwise so very very quiet on the Pentax front?

Chris

[biz-engineer]

Time for the Ricoh K1.

It would be easy to turn Pentax into Ricoh, exifs display Ricoh Imaging corp (or something like that), Pentax is written on the front of the prism and on camera/lense boxes. After Ricoh would drop the Pentax name, prices of used Pentax branded cameras and lenses would go to the roof. To me it's amazing how Pentax customers are attached to the tradition: on ebay we know see a lot of FA35 f2 for sales, likely owners who sell their FA352 after buying an HD FA35 f2,... they just want the coatings of the new HD FA35 f2 while keeping the look of the old FA35 f2.

Ricoh could fake competition on prices: make a Ricoh K1 at $3000 and a Pentax K1 at $2000 to make the Pentax version look cheaper

[repaap]

Or then they just renew lisence from 2020 to 2030?

[biz-engineer]

Or then they just renew lisence from 2020 to 2030?

Or they just shake hands and renew the license... It's like the partnership between Pentax (sorry I meant Ricoh) and Ishikawa laboratories for PDCU. It looks like in Japan, the relationships are as important as running the business even if sometimes compromises are made to keep the relationship going. I feel like all Japanese companies involved in making camera are both competitors and partners (no sure if Hoya makes the glass elements for Sigma, Tamron, Fuji makes the MF lenses for Hasselblad, Panasonic makes crop camera for Leica).