RDB has comprehensive experience representing the powersports industry, primarily as General Counsel to the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC), the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF), and the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America (SVIA).
RDB Senior Partner Stu Ross has been corporate counsel to MIC for over 35 years and was involved in the formation of MSF and SVIA. For the last several years, RDB Partner Paul Vitrano has provided extensive counsel to the industry and, in 2006, was honored with an MIC Chairman’s Award for Outstanding Service to the Industry. Paul also serves as the industry’s primary legal liaison with government officials and agencies.
Our experience ranges from representing the entire motorcycle industry to litigating for industry associations and member companies across the United States. We have assisted clients in conjunction with matters before or involving numerous governmental bodies, including:
- U.S. Congress
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- National Transportation Safety Board
- Consumer Product Safety Commission
- Environmental Protection Agency
- California Air Resources Board
- California Highway Patrol
- California Department of General Services
- Hawaii state legislature
We regularly counsel powersports companies and executives in connection with industry-related matters. Recent representations have included counseling manufacturers and distributors regarding insurance coverage issues, preparing an executive for testimony in a high profile trial, and defending a motorcycle safety training provider in liability litigation.
RDB also monitors, coordinates, and oversees all commercial, liability, and regulatory litigation involving MIC, MSF, and SVIA as parties or third-party participants. Among the matters we currently manage are land use litigation over the use of off-road vehicles in the National Parks and intellectual property litigation arising from the misappropriation of copyrighted works. We have provided extensive legal and strategic advice to MIC and member companies in connection with the recently-launched data transfer standard, Powersports Standard Protocol (PSP), and serve as General Counsel to TranStand, the industry-sponsored technology company supporting the implementation of PSP.
As a business partner of the associations, RDB has provided MIC, MSF, and SVIA counsel and representation in connection with: corporate governance; employment relations and litigation; personal injury litigation; intellectual property protection and litigation; standards development; government contracting and bid/award protests; licensing, vendor, sponsorship and other contracting; government relations; and strategic planning.