Samyang withdraws XP 50mm and 85mm
SAMYANG has temporarily withdrawn its XP 50mm f/1.2 and XP 85mm f/1.2 lenses from sale in the EU. According to a statement from UK distributor Intro 2020 Ltd, this is because of a design dispute with Zeiss.
Intro 2020 stated: ‘Samyang informed us that there is a design-related issue with the XP 85mm f/1.2 and XP 50mm f/1.2 lenses between Samyang and Carl Zeiss. Carl Zeiss applied for a temporary injunction to German and EU courts to hold the sales and marketing of XP lenses in the whole EU, and to their regret, it was accepted by the courts.
‘In order to prevent any further arguments, Samyang will stop shipping XP 85mm and XP 50mm lenses to Europe until this design issue is resolved. In accordance with the current situation, they have asked us to stop selling XP 85mm and XP 50mm lens to our dealers and inform all of our dealers not to sell XP lenses in the market.
‘ We have been assured that this design issue is related to certain XP lens only. It has nothing to do with the normal sales and marketing of other Samyang or XEEN lenses.’
AP Technical Editor Andy Westlake suspects the complaint could relate to cosmetic design: ‘EU law includes a trade dress provision that protects the visual appearance of a product from being copied. But these Samyang lenses have some distinctive design features that resemble Zeiss’s lenses, for example a smooth curve formed between the barrel and lens hood.’
Samyang’s other lenses remain on sale as usual.