04/09/2025
An ImageSails opinion piece
North Sails embraces subterfuge and undermining of independent artistry and altruism, over integrity and honorable business practices
As our lawsuit against North Sails continues, they are desperately employing what I, ImageSails' Founder Daniel Gohstand, feel is unabashed subterfuge to avoid accountability for theft and appropriation of beautiful and altruistic artistic devotion. We ask that you not support a company that would rather spend hundreds of thousands of dollars attempting to circumvent and undermine an independent artists' innovation and patents, rather than simply forging a positive and productive relationship, as originally offered them and responded to with what has proven to be feigned interest followed by underhanded thievery. There is something seriously misguided in their orientation toward destroying rather than creating. I personally feel it displays a complete absence of ethics and decency. What kind of company, and what kind of people, behave this way? We urge you to consider their lowly behavior before purchasing.
North Sails was afforded every opportunity to approach this situation with honor, by forging a relationship, licensing our patents, or even purchasing our company. It would have in effect cost them nothing to license our patents and/or pay royalties, and simply build those costs into their pricing. We all could have created more beautiful art in the world, made more money, and maintained mutual respect. We could have also kept jobs in America, as our sails are entirely printed and manufactured by hand in the USA. They chose otherwise.
Latest in North's shameful repertoire is assertion of the following dates of Doyle, now part of North as an ever-growing corporate entity. Though coinciding, surely no coincidence:
Doyle's attorney, and now North's, assert that, "Stratis Sail Art was under development from at least as early as February 2015 and ready for launch in late April 2015."
This is enlightening, as I:
A) Filed my initial patent application on Aug. 15, 2014.
B) Presented my product at the Annapolis Sailboat Show on October 9th, 2014, where I also met with Quantum (now also part of North Sails) VP of Design and Engineering Robert Ranzenbach, who expressed interest in working together.
C) Exhibited my realized product and sailed it on a vessel at the Strictly Sail Miami sailboat show in Miami, Florida, on February 12th-16th, 2015.
D) Exhibited in Oakland, CA, at Strictly Sail Pacific on April 9, 2015, where I met Doyle representatives, including Bill Colombo.
E) Personally met with Bill Colombo at his Alameda loft on April 23, 2015.
Something smells pungently fishy to me, and reeks of unbridled greed. Note that they claim their product was 'under development from at least as early as February 2015,' while I exhibited my true first-in-the-world printed sail at the Strictly Sail Miami sailboat show in Miami, Florida, on February 12th-16th, 2015!
They go on to claim that their product was 'ready for launch in late April 2015,' while I exhibited in Oakland, CA, at Strictly Sail Pacific on April 9, 2015! There I met Doyle representatives including Bill Colombo, and personally met with Bill Colombo at his Alameda loft on April 23, 2015, at which point he expressed great interest, and not once mentioned launching a competing product.
It doesn't take a detective to see how the dates correspond, and how mine precede theirs. I assert they wantonly and underhandedly appropriated my hard work; it's my fervent opinion they stole my concept and methods. There is no doubt that I am the true creator of this art, as they have themselves admitted in writing multiple times, by the assertion of the aforementioned dates. It seems to me they'll do anything to avoid respecting an independent artists' decade of commitment, investment of countless personal funds, and earnest devotion to an altruistic, artistic concept. I feel it's disgusting, really.
I feel three of North Sails' top reps behaved duplicitously throughout our interactions: I spoke with their CEO, Dan Neri, and their graphics lead, John Gladstone, many times on the phone, who both asserted interest in working together, then endlessly gave us the run-around. I later spoke with representative Cyrilla Garcia, who also expressed interest, and stated, "I'll call you next week." She did not. I feel none of their top management exhibited one iota of honesty, forthrightness, integrity, or respect. They are fully aware of their tactics, and carried-out their deceit with intent.
I'll always be proud that I created something artistically new and unique, inventing a new canvas, and adding an entirely fresh dynamic to sailing. They can be proud of nothing. In my view, they've done nothing except steal, and where is the pride in that?
The damage these companies have done to our small enterprise and the sailing world as a whole is immeasurable, from harming creative efforts and impeding artistry in the maritime realm, to diverting income from our Team, contractors, and fellow artists, to, perhaps most egregiously and heartbreakingly, impacting our ability to bring medical and artistic aid to a small community in need in Guatemala.
I'm certain the sailing community will see the truth of the matter, and will be off-put enough by their conduct to refuse to support, or purchase from, North Sails. If you’ve ever viewed this company as a bastion of integrity in the sailing industry, I’d strongly recommend looking elsewhere. As their company has grown in size, their respect has shrunken to a depth that no longer even registers. At some point, consumers need to draw a line to stop corporate theft, manipulation, and abuse of independents trying to achieve something uniquely positive and beautiful in this world.
Kindly contact us to join us in this fight. We appreciate your support, which you may share through legal aid, and funds devoted to the same via GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/9f33b0fd
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