During our return home from FRC World Championships in Houston and Detroit yesterday, we were informed about this new company named “Kauai Labs” that was formed 4 weeks ago in Chile by two sons of the current president. Our company, Kaua’i Labs was created in 2012 to advance the technology used in FIRST and in other robotics education programs around the world. Our company name fuses together our location (the island where we live of Kaua’i in Hawai’i) and our focus on enabling research and making that research available to students in educational and competitive robotics. Our vision is to continue to contribute to FIRST and other robotics programs around the world. First, I want to assure you our company is in no way related to this company in Chile, and that the individuals involved have not extended to us the courtesy of contacting us about it. While the copying of our company name indicates we are clearly making a difference in robotics worldwide, we are concerned about any confusion it creates among our customers, and cannot help but be concerned about the intentions of this company. Second, while it is not strictly illegal for a company in a foreign country to use the same company name as a company in the United States, I think you would agree it is definitely not in the spirit of gracious professionalism to knowingly do so. For those of you inspired to create your own company as we have, I encourage you not to follow the steps taken by these individuals in Chile. There is a Hawaiian word (“Pono”) meaning “Righteousness” which guides our steps and we feel the actions of this Chilean company are definitely “not Pono”. All Kaua’i Labs products and materials will always include the okina (the apostrophe between the ‘a’ and ‘i’ in the word Kaua’i) and the registered “Build Better Robots” trademark. We exist to serve you and I encourage you to contact me directly if there is ever any question regarding Kaua’i Labs, our products and our vision. Aloha, scott