The trademarks, domain names and social media accounts of MirraCo–the bike brand co-founded by the late BMX superstar, Dave Mirra, will be auctioned off in a sale to be held on May 6, 2019.
Hilco Streambank, a firm with offices in New York City and Glasgow, Scotland which specializes in such transactions, is leading the sale, and has an active listing on their website (link below) with some of the details concerning the brand, and what, exactly will be offered in the auction.
The listing makes it clear that these assets will be up for sale OR license, and summarizes the listing by saying:
Hilco Streambank is marketing for sale or license the intellectual property of MirraCo, the BMX bicycle brand founded by BMX freestyle rider Dave Mirra, including the Mirra trademark, domain names and the MirraCo Facebook page.
MirraCo was co-founded by Dave and BMX Industry heavy hitter, Jim Ford, formerly of Haro Bikes, dating back to the 1980s.
This is an interesting news story because we do not often see such a public offering for a BMX brand, albeit a freestyle brand (which, we would assume, has a larger sales footprint than a big part of the BMX Race industry combined).
As in most acquisitions, anyone bidding and winning such an auction would need to be spot-on in carrying out a plan to keep MirraCo in the market and relevant to riders (past, present and future). The listing notes: “The brand’s co-founder (editor’s note: Mr. Ford), leveraging more than 30 years of experience, is uniquely positioned, if needed, to transition the brand to a buyer’s infrastructure.” That’s a good sign, for sure.
Some have speculated that the mere transfer of ownership could set the BMX community against the brand–reading the purchase as an exploitation of Dave’s memory and accomplishments (“trading on the name of one of our heroes, who is no longer with us,” is how one BMX Industry insider put it).
Here in the BMX Newsroom, we don’t doubt a possibility where the BMX community objects to commerce, in any form. We can always count on that, from certain circles. But our take on it goes deeper.
The best thing that can happen is to keep Dave’s legacy alive, and in the hearts and minds of future generations of BMXers. Surely, we can all agree that these future riders DESERVE to know about Miracle Boy, and all of his accomplishments on the bike. Having his brand live-on with a hopefully-well-heeled new owner, with the right motivations, could very-well be the best way to do that.
Offers for the assets are due on or before May 2, with the auction to be held on May 6. This may be the time to break open your nestegg, and dive in to a great BMX brand.
It’s unclear whether the results of the auction, and the identity of any prevailing parties, will be made public, but BMX News will stay on the story, and report any updates we are able to uncover.
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