As I wote some time ago, the Pentax name was KW/Pentacon (tm) in South
Africa only, where they marketed cine projectors under that brand name.
KW already used the name Pentax for a prototype medium format camera which
never saw light as a mass-produced product.
It looks like they missed registering the Pentax name (since for some time
the eastern block didn't agree on western rules about patents and copyright)
and Asahi could take it (but South-Africa). It is evident that some time
later Asahi agreed with Pentacon about the Pentax name in South Africa too.
Bye,
Dario Bonazza
--------------------------------
http://digilander.iol.it/aohc/
----- Original Message -----
From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Thursday, February 08, 2001 6:52 PM
Subject: "PENTAX" (tm) was not Asahi's at first!?
>
> I just got this piece of info from one of my history-wise friends at
> Praktica group:
>
> ***
> Frantisek, regarding trademarks, do you know that the name "Pentax" was
> originally owned by KW? A range of KW cine equipment was made under the
> Pentax name but I suspect Asahi made an arrangement with KW to use it
> for its cameras.
> ***
>
> few explanations: KW was a camera maker in Germany, later merged (afaik)
> into VEB PENTACON. They certainly had (tm) Pentaflex for some of the
later
> cameras. I do now know personally if the bit about Pentax is true too, but
> the person who told it is usually spot-on. KW also had hands in the first
> Prakticas.
>
> Frantisek
>
> -
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