China’s fragmented, chaotic hoverboard industry is trying to clean itself up.
More than 100 Chinese hoverboard sellers, assemblers, and component supplies have banded together to form a trade association called the Hoverboard Industry Alliance. After forming officially in January, the group just held its second conference on Thursday (Mar. 3).
The group intends to work with organizations that set standards for safety and patents in the US, China, and elsewhere, one manufacturer member told Quartz. For example, manufacturers preparing to ship their devices to the US can turn to the association for guidance on how to apply for a UL certification, which most US retailers require before they will sell any electronic devices. Or, a manufacturer looking to make hoverboards could ask the association how to obtain a patent license for the device in China. Hangzhou-based manufacturer CHIC owns the intellectual property rights to the hoverboard in China, and it often leases the patent out to other factories in the country.
The group also intends to communicate regularly with UL and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), a branch of the US government in charge of consumer goods safety, to help create and enforce standards for the industry.
[“Source-qz”]
