John wrote in news:44065E54.9A20DDB4
@intergrafix.net:

A company in the US bought a machine tool that was not supposed to be in
the US. Somehow the machine tool mfgr. got charged for the import of
the machine, probably on its quota limit. Anyway, when they came to put
the machine together the serial number of the machine was sent back to
the home office in Japan. The technicians all walked off the job and
would not touch the machine. It took them a couple of years to find
someone to assemble the machine. They still have problems getting
factory parts for the machine.

It could also be that the machine violates some other company's patent. The
patent may not apply in Japan or they just ignore it, never intending for
the machine to leave the country. Then some Japanese company moves it to a
US plant or just plain sells it used and it gets exported. Uh oh, could be
big trouble for the company that built it.

Also many US companies licensed their designs to Japanese builders with the
condition that the machines would only be sold in Japan. But some still
ended up here one way or another. Which creates a legal problem for the
Japanese builder.

--

Dan