News Digest

Just Who Owns Six Sigma, Anyway?

The question of "Who owns Six Sigma, anyway?" may make its way to court. One Six Sigma consultant has already fired legal warning shots at at least two other consulting companies.

 Recently, Mikel Harry of the Six Sigma Academy contacted Forrest Breyfogle III, president of Smarter Solutions Inc. and author of Implementing Six Sigma (John Wiley & Sons, 1999), and Thomas Pyzdek, president of the International Quality Federation (IQF) and Quality Digest columnist, and warned them of their "unauthorized use of federally registered trademarks and service marks licensed to Sigma Consultants L.L.C." Harry requested that the recipients contact his lawyer to request permission for continued use of the terms.

 At question were the terms "Champion," "Master Black Belt," "Black Belt," "Green Belt," "Six Sigma Breakthrough Strategy," "MAIC," "PTAR" and others--many of which are commonly used to describe the products and services provided by the IQF, Smarter Solutions Inc. and scores of other quality consultants, authors and universities. Attached to the letters were lists of these terms under the heading "Trademarks and Service Marks."

 "I don't see that Mikel Harry's organization can be the rightful owner of words such as Black Belt, Green Belt and Champion," says Breyfogle. "I know that Motorola used these terms both before Mr. Harry's service mark application date of January 1998 and Mr. Harry's claimed first use dates in his service mark applications of September 1994."

 Indeed, Breyfogle provided Quality Digest with a copy of a Black Belt Certification Award signed by A.W. Wiggenhorn, president of Motorola University, and Harry, then corporate director of Motorola's Six Sigma Research Institute. The award was dated Sept. 25, 1992. According to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO), Six Sigma is a registered trademark of Motorola (Serial Number: 74199225, Registration Number: 1813630). A PTO publication states, "Generally, the first party who either uses a mark in commerce or files an application in the PTO has the ultimate right to register that mark."

 "Motorola adopted Six Sigma to designate a quality standard more than a decade ago, and the term has become exclusively associated with Motorola's teachings in the quality area," says Wiggenhorn.

 "The alleged service marks are in widespread use in the quality field, with many examples pre-dating Harry's applications," agrees Pyzdek. "Harry's applications for registration had not even been approved when he sent these letters."

 Harry's application for one of the terms, Master Black Belt, has since been approved for publication in the PTO's Official Gazette. "During this stage, people have a right to submit a letter of opposition to the applicant being granted the trademarks or service marks in question," explains James W. Zeeb, Pyzdek's attorney. "Those are submitted, and then the examiner will make a determination about whether the registration should be granted."

 Pyzdek's organization and many others continue to use the terms. Moreover, Pyzdek is considering filing objections with the PTO.

 "We believe these terms are generic and define an entire category of services," explains Zeeb. "So they're not subject to anyone grabbing the exclusive rights to them. Likewise, descriptive terms are not protectable as trademarks."

 Breyfogle adds: "I believe that Mr. Harry's actions relative to these service marks are not beneficial to companies that are planning to implement Six Sigma and the quality movement in general. Mr. Harry and his organization should not attempt to create a Six Sigma monopoly."

 To follow this issue, call the PTO at (703) 305-8716 or visit
www.uspto.gov .

 Mikel Harry and his attorney failed to respond to Quality Digest's repeated requests for comments on this story.

 

Court Decides Vision Systems
Patent Infringement Claim

View Engineering Inc., a subsidiary of GSI Lumonics Inc., recently announced that a decision in its favor has been made in a lawsuit brought by Robotic Vision Systems Inc. (RVSI). Originally RVSI had been seeking $65 million in damages plus interest, alleging patent infringement related to its semiconductor inspection products. View Engineering prevailed on eight of the alleged nine infringed-upon patents. No damages were awarded for the patent issue in which RVSI prevailed.

 "This decision will be appealed and, in the end, we fully expect to recover the damages we are owed," says Pat V. Costa, RVSI chairman and CEO. "An earlier decision in this case by the same judge was reversed by an appellate court."

 "The court decision does not change the fact that GSI Lumonics has withdrawn from the semiconductor inspection market for a period of 10 years as a result of the settlement of an earlier fraud suit brought by RVSI," Costa added.

 Developments in this case are posted on both of the companies' Web sites: www.gsilumonics.com and www.rvsi.com .

 

Clarification: ISO/TS 16949 Registrars

Our story "ISO/TS 16949 Registrars Selected," which appeared in last month's News Digest section, may have caused some confusion. The story focused on the 10 registrars based in North America that have been accredited to register companies to ISO/TS 16949. However, there are also some ISO/TS 16949-accredited registrars based outside the United States with U.S. offices and clients. What follows is the complete list of accredited registrars. Quality Digest apologizes for any confusion that the story may have caused.

 ABS Quality Evaluations--United States

 American Quality Assessors--United States

 AQSR International--United States

 Asociación española de normalización y certificación--Spain

 Association française pour l'assurance de la Qualité--France

 BVQI--United States

 CERTO S.r.l--Italy

 CISQ AUTOMOTIVE--Italy

 Det Norske Veritas (DNV) Certification--United States

 Deutsche Gesellschaft zür Zertifizierung von 
Managementsystemen -- Germany

 Entela--United States

 ITS/INTERTEK Services Corp.--United States

  Japan Quality Assurance Organization--Japan

  Korean Standards Association Quality Assurance--Korea

  KPMG--United States

  Österreichische Vereingung für Qualitat-und Managementsystemen--Austria

 Quality Assurance Svcs. Pty. Ltd.--Australia

  Quality Management Institute--Canada

  SGS-ICS Gesellschaft zür Zertifizierungen--Germany

  Smithers Quality Assessments--United States

  Steel Related Industries--United States

  South African Bureau of Standards--South Africa

  TÜV CERT--Germany

 TÜV Management Service--Germany

 TÜV--NORD--Germany

 TÜV Rheinland--Germany

 Union technique de l'automobile, du motocycle et du cycle--France

 Underwriter's Laboratories--United States

 Vehicle Certification Agency--United Kingdom

 Remember, some of the registrars based outside of North America may have U.S. offices. Check with your registrar to see if it's ISO/TS 16949-accredited.

 

Navy's Bureau of Medicine Earns ISO 9001 Registration

The Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED), the headquarters command for the U.S. Navy medical department, has become the first of its kind in the United States to be registered to ISO 9001.

 BUMED is the headquarters for a health care system that provides high-quality, economical health care to nearly 2.6 million active duty Navy and Marine Corps members, their families and retirees. The Navy's health care costs remain only slightly above the national per capita average while still actively supporting contingency, humanitarian and joint operations around the world.

 "This certification marks the culmination of two-and-a-half years of intense research, planning and development in establishing quality management processes," says Rear Admiral S. Todd Fisher, deputy surgeon general of the Navy.

 ISO 9001 encompasses BUMED's guiding principles, which include communicating effectively with customers, improving process quality and system quality to ensure that functions are effectively accomplished in support of all customers, and caring about one another as much as they care for their patients. "This is the basis of the teamwork and trust that must exist for us to succeed," explains Fisher. "We encourage creative thinking and innovative solutions and foster an environment in which solutions are matched to customer needs."

 For more information, contact Captain Ryland Dodge by telephone at (202) 762-3218, by fax at (202) 762-3224 or by e-mail at rtdodge@us.med.navy.mil .

 

Student Quality Circles Go International

Q uality Circles are springing up with unexpected members in unexpected places--teenage students in India, for instance.

 The most recent student quality circle conference, the second in the past three years, took place in Lucknow, India. The title, "International Convention of Student Quality Control Circles," may have been an understatement: 77 Indian and 25 foreign schools participated. Also participating were speakers from around the globe. Represented nations included the United States, England, Japan, Germany, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Malaysia, Nigeria and Nepal.

 The CMS School in Lucknow hosted the event. CMS, whose 17 campuses are attended by more than 23,000 students, is the world's largest single-city private school. Jagdish Gandhi, its founder, visited Japan in the 1990s and returned inspired by several aspects of the Japanese commitment to quality and quality circles in particular. Gandhi was determined to introduce quality principles into the education system.

 Vineeta Kamran, the principal of one of CMS' larger cam-puses, helped make that goal a reality with the help of P.C. Bihari, a mechanical engineer with Indian National Railroads. In 1994, their pilot circle, made up of 12- and 13-year-old students, presented its project at an international quality conference held in Hong Kong.

 The third conference in this series will take place on the island nation Mauritius. The event for circles from business and commerce will be held on July 26–28, and the conference for student circles will take place July 24–25. Contact Andre Lim, the event organizer, by e-mail at ipc@intent.mu , or visit QCI International's Web site at www.qci-intl.com .

 

Acquisition Rumors Cause Confusion

Don't believe what you hear until you see it in print--that's what James Wilson used to do. That was until he read in an industry newsletter that his company, ABS Quality Evaluations (ABS QE), was being acquired by a competitor.

 "The basic story was that ABS QE had been acquired by BVQI," explains Wilson, president of ABS QE. "The article included many things that were just not factual at all. It reported not only that ABS QE had been acquired, but that there were rumors that the entire group was for sale. Those claims were without any kind of factual basis at all."

 ABS has, however, been involved in several acquisitions recently. "We have acquired four separate companies in the last 18 months," says Wilson, who admits that ABS QE is in constant contact with competitors. "On a regular basis I get calls from many of our friendly competitors, and we call them on a regular basis. We're always talking about the ongoing business that we're involved with, how it's affecting us and so on. There are relatively few registration or certification firms that we have not talked to in one way or another."

 Despite ongoing talks with competitors, Wilson denies rumors of a merger. "There are absolutely zero negotiations, discussions or any kind of talks of that nature going on at this time," he says. "There's nothing going on, and that's why it's so odd to us that these rumors are going around now."

 Other rumors that ABS QE had been acquired by SGS, not BVQI, only added to the confusion suffered by ABS employees and clients. To mitigate the effects of such rumors, Wilson recently sent letters to all of ABS QE's U.S. clients, stating: "I am concerned that recent market rumors surrounding the future of ABS QE may have created some uncertainty within the industry that might affect our continuing relationship. I want to reassure you that ABS QE has no intention of leaving the certification business."

 Both SGS and BVQI confirmed that the rumors were false and that they had created quite a nuisance.

 Wilson urges any current or potential clients concerned about the future of ABS QE to contact him by e-mail at jwilson@eagle.org  or by telephone at (281) 877-6098.

 

 

Online Training

Getting to one of Excel Partnership's many training courses may now be of little concern to those with Internet access. Excel has launched a new Web-based course, "An Introduction to the New ISO 9001:2000 Standard," which will be delivered right to the user's desktop with real-time interactivity and instructor-led training. A complete list of 2000 dates for the course (divided into two two-hour modules held on consecutive days) is available at Excel's Web site.
www.excelpartnership.com

 

Online Resource

Sony Precision Technology America has released its new "Super Site." The complete online resource offers visitors the most current information on instrumentation and machine tool measuring equipment. Also posted are updated news item, industry links, product technologies, capabilities and applications. Additionally, visitors can submit requests for product specifications, contact information and current trade show schedules.
www.sonypt.com

 

Software Store

The Rockwell Software WebStore features more than 800 Rockwell Software products, providing customers with a single point of contact and the freedom to manage their orders. The site recently expanded, adding products and services from Rockwell Automation and its Allen-Bradley, Reliance Electric and Dodge brands. This site constitutes the first phase of the company's customer e-business solutions initiative.
www.rockwellautomation.com/rsstore

 

Internet Community

SkillsVillage.com is an Internet-based community where contractors (Contractor Villagers) and enterprise hiring managers (Client Villagers) can find their ultimate match at the maximum value. In addition, both contractors and enterprise hiring managers can handle many of their administrative tasks automatically through online workforce tools and support services. SkillsVillage.com is also a place where professionals can participate in discussions with their colleagues to exchange ideas, gather information and get answers to questions.
www.skillsvillage.com

 

Breakthrough Performance

Bill Scherkenbach's Quality Management Consulting Web site is filled with free downloads useful to any quality or management professional. An extensive bibliography, which was previously only on his Breakthrough Performance CD-ROM, is now online. The site will guide you through a host of seminars, CDs, and other e-quality items such as its Quarterly Quality Checkup.
www.scherkenbach.com

 

To submit your Web site for consideration, e-mail a description of its content to contact_us . Because of space constraints, not all Web sites can be published. More quality-related links are available at www.qualitydigest.com

 

At A Glance

 

Expansion

ISO 9002-registered Inspec Inc., which provides CMM, optical and laser measurement services, is tripling the size of its environmentally controlled laboratory in Canton, Michigan. Inspec offers state-of-the-art equipment and technology including surface finish, roundness, vision systems, CMMs and reverse engineering while providing 24-hour field service and in-house contract inspection. Visit www.inspec-inc.com .

 

Acquisitions

GenRad Inc. recently announced that it has acquired California-based Nicolet Imaging Systems and its sister company, Sierra Research and Technology Inc., for a combined purchase price of $40 million. GenRad Inc. provides electronics OEMs and their customers with the hardware, software and services to increase productivity by optimizing product design, manufacturing and after-market service.

 

Rockwell Automation has announced that it is expanding its asset-management capabilities by acquiring Entek IRD International Corp. This transaction adds the Entek and IRD brands of condition-based monitoring equipment, analysis software, professional services and Internet services for the maintenance, repair and operations marketplace to Rockwell's portfolio of asset management services. Rockwell's Web site is located at www.rockwellautomation.com .

 

Publications

The American Productivity & Quality Center (APQC) has released a new guidebook of best practices in knowledge management. Knowledge Management is the first of several books to be released as part of APQC's Passport to Success series. The book is available for $19.95 through APQC's online bookstore, located at www.store.apqc.org .

 

Product Usage

Prescient Technologies Inc. has announced that Boeing has selected Prescient Technologies' DesignQA software as the dataset checker system for its Puget Sound-area tool-engineering organizations. DesignQA, a key component of the PrescientQA family of engineering quality tools, is used by Fortune 100 companies in aerospace, automotive, electronics and other discrete manufacturing industries for detecting, assessing, correcting and preventing product development problems caused by inaccurate, incomplete or inconsistent design modeling practices. www.prescienttech.com .

 

Partnership

Envirotronics (a manufacturer of environmental test equipment) and Entela Inc. (engineering and test laboratories) have formed a strategic alliance. The two companies will cooperate in the marketing of each other's test systems and both participate in a series of "Accelerated Test Methods" seminars across the country. Envirotronics and Entela acknowledge that they both recognize the strength of each other's new developments in accelerated stress testing. Visit www.envirotronics.com and www.entela.com .

 

Call for Papers

The Technical Program Committee of the American Society for Quality is now accepting proposals for its 55th Annual Quality Congress to be held May 7–9, 2001, at the Charlotte Convention Center in North Carolina. The deadline to submit proposals is July 31, 2000. For suggested proposal topics and general review criteria for your proposal, visit www.asq.org/products/conferences/55thaqccall/ .

 

To have your news item considered for publication in Quality Digest's "At a Glance" section, e-mail press releases to contact_us .

Today's Specials
 

Menu Level Above 

[Contents]

This Menu Level 

[News] [WebLinks] [Columnists]

Menu  Level Below 

 

Copyright 2000 QCI International. All rights reserved.
Quality Digest can be reached by phone at (530) 893-4095. E-mail:
Click Here