The Laser Vote

This one’s personal. I want to see the Laser continue on its class-driven as opposed to manufacturer-driven course. It’s up to vote of the International Laser Class (ILCA) membership.

I’ve been sailing Lasers since 1978. I’ve watched the Laser almost die a handful of times. Each time the quality of the design and concept withstood the bad decisions or incompetence of the people behind the boat. Yes, there are flaws. Yes, there are “better” boats now.

But, as was clear from the latest vote to keep the Laser in the Olympics, there is life left for this class. Its challenging enough for the world’s best sailors yet simple enough for the rest of us including especially young sailors.

Yet, the class members are faced with an important vote. To my way of thinking, a Yes vote gives the International Laser Class Association control of future of the class. A No vote gives inordinate power by virtue of the trademark rights to the largest manufacturer LaserPerformance, a company that shows no respect for the history of the class or to the needs of its North American sailors.

As so many things do these days, this battle has played out electronically on social media. And like so many things, it’s hard to know what to believe. I do not believe LP. I’ll let Dan Self of Australia explain it much better than I can:

Dear Fellow ILCA Members, As you may all be aware, the ILCA has recently sent out a vote to remove from the Class Rules the requirement that a builder must have the rights to use a Laser trademark. This rule change has arisen from World Sailing’s need for all Olympic Classes to allow any interested and qualified manufacturer to build Olympic equipment. If there are any licenses required, those need to be issued to new builders on a a Fair, Reasonable and Non-Discriminatory (FRAND) basis. Until recently, the Laser has been built and supplied by three major builders; Laser Performance (LP), Performance Sailcraft Australia (PSA), and Performance Sailcraft Japan (PSJ). Although simplified, these companies all own the rights to the “Laser” trademark and brand in the territories they supply – Japan and South Korea (PSJ), Oceania (PSA) and the rest of the world (LP). In order for the Laser to comply with the World Sailing FRAND policies, the three builders need to reach an agreement to allow other builders to sell boats called “Lasers” in their territories, for a licensing fee. They also need to reach this agreement by the 1st August. There are significant disagreements between the builders about the amount of the licensing fee. Put simply, PSA and LP are at loggerheads and have been fighting each other in and out of court for over a decade. The bottom line is, if the builders are not able to agree to a FRAND policy in the next three weeks, the Laser will be kicked out of the Olympics. There is, however, an alternative solution to the licensing fee conundrum. The Laser is a commercial brand, and the class rules require that a builder “has the rights to use the Laser trademark”. But what if we were to change that? This is what the most recent rule change is suggesting. If the rule change is passed, the following will be achieved; •    New builders will be able to enter the market as they will not need to have a trademark agreement with the other builders. •    Supply will be improved throughout the world as more builders enter the market. •    Increased supply can encourage more people to sail the Laser, giving us more people to race against. •    The Laser will be guaranteed to remain as an Olympic class, through compliance with World Sailing’s FRAND policies. So what’s the only downside to voting “yes”? The boats and equipment supplied by new builderswill not be sold under the brand name “Laser”. Will they still be able to race at all Laser events? Absolutely. Will they be 100% class legal? Absolutely. Will this mean that the name of the class and regattas will have to change from the “Laser”? Absolutely not. ILCA has recently signed an agreement with Laser Performance which will allow them to continue using the word “Laser” for all events, and matters relating to the class association into the foreseeable future. Now some of you might be asking, “why bother making all these changes just to keep the Laser in the Olympics?” Whilst I agree that the Laser would be a strong class without the Olympics, if the Laser were no longer in the Olympics, I can see at least 200+ Olympic campaigners ditching the Laser to pursue their Olympic dream in another class. Not only that, but the Olympic dream is one of the main drivers behind youth participation in the Laser. I’ll be the first one to admit that Olympic status was a big draw card for me taking up, and continuing in the Laser. I’m sure that many other youth and Olympic campaigners will say the same. If the Olympics were held in another class, eventually the WS Youth Worlds would adopt that class as their single-handed equipment, and the entire youth sailing landscape would shift slowly to that equipment. Further, the Laser is the only equipment which allows Olympic participation at a global scale. During the recent World Sailing Olympic Equipment decisions, a number of countries said that they would not be able to continue Olympic sailing without the Laser. In addition, Olympic status increases the amount of technique development and second hand equipment available around the world, leading to higher quality and more competitive racing for all. So my call to you, ILCA members, is to vote ‘yes’ to guarantee the Laser has a spot in the Olympics. If the rules are changed and the builders still reach an agreement, great, nothing changes, but a ‘yes’ vote is the only way to ensure our great class stays Olympic. Cheers, Dan Self Laser Sailor, Laser Dealer and Queensland Laser Association Vice Chairperson

If you’re a class member, vote.

There are things I’d like to change about the Laser, starting with the cost of new sails. But one thing I don’t want to change is to put its destiny into the hands of a corporation that has shown little regard for the history of the class or the welfare of all its sailors. Things change minute to minute in this debacle, and may in fact change before I hit the “post” button. But as of right now, “yes” is a vote in favor of the class having an option to move forward.