Gibson v Dean trial to start

Yeah- Fender haven't done this, wiith the strat and tele shape?!! :O

I think this is a stupid trial/case. What we need, is quality guitars and happiness!! ;) nothing more, nothing less...

(thankfully, one can choose to buy a Gibson or not, right? :) )
 
If Fender could do this, they will. While they don't generally go after copies of body shapes, I'd bet they'd go after direct headstock copies.
 
They haven't sent any cease and desist to Charvel, that I'm aware of.

Fmic owns charvel now, but I think in the 80s they did stop charvel and Kramer from using the fender headstock. That’s when both companies altered it slightly and it looked like a strat head with a chunk carved out of the circular “scroll” end.
 
Yeah- Fender haven't done this, wiith the strat and tele shape?!! :O

I think this is a stupid trial/case. What we need, is quality guitars and happiness!! ;) nothing more, nothing less...

(thankfully, one can choose to buy a Gibson or not, right? :) )

IIRC Fender tried to sue one of more of the clone makers in the late 70s or early 80s, and it was ruled that the body shape was inherently functional and therefore couldn't be trademarked, while the trademarks on the headstock shapes were upheld.

They haven't sent any cease and desist to Charvel, that I'm aware of.

FMIC bought Charvel/Jackson in 2001, which is why you can get Strathead Charvels now. BITD they sent Charvel a cease and desist, so they quit offering Strat headstocks to the general public in 1984 or 1985. For several years Charvels were only available with the Jackson-style pointy headstock until the design pskorz posted was introduced for the Charvel import line in 1989. They built a few one-off Stratheads for endorsers, but that was it until the 25th Anniversary reissues in 2004.
 
IIRC Fender tried to sue one of more of the clone makers in the late 70s or early 80s, and it was ruled that the body shape was inherently functional and therefore couldn't be trademarked, while the trademarks on the headstock shapes were upheld.



FMIC bought Charvel/Jackson in 2001, which is why you can get Strathead Charvels now. BITD they sent Charvel a cease and desist, so they quit offering Strat headstocks to the general public in 1984 or 1985. For several years Charvels were only available with the Jackson-style pointy headstock until the design pskorz posted was introduced for the Charvel import line in 1989. They built a few one-off Stratheads for endorsers, but that was it until the 25th Anniversary reissues in 2004.

Ah. That explains it. I have a hard time following all the sharks swallowing the salmons. I don't often keep up with it, unless I see two logos on something I own.
 
I love that this lawsuit makes the implicit assumption that consumers are illiterate . . . and rely on headstock shape to tell which manufacturer makes a guitar.
 
I am not too hip to the crux of the Dean suit. Gibson probably has legitimate gripes against a lot of parties copycatting them, but that original suit against PRS over the single cut-which looks nothing like a Les Paul-really just made clear that they’re after anyone who sells more guitars than them. I realize it’s entirely new ownership now, but I really don’t get the point of going after Dean.
 
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