If they were smart, they would have tried to patent/trademark the designs in the 50s when they were created. Instead they waited like 50 years to try it and got shot down heh. I don't think Leo was really thinking that far ahead though, he thought his and Gibsons designs would be it. And then the 70s and the Japanese factories happened..

 

who are those dumb german judges allowing this?

 

Very interesting that the company that bought Reverb.com also owns Fender. They saw the data and figured out they could kill off the little guys and force a royalty deal with the big guys and print money without having to make/ship/stock/sell anything.

 

It's not just the German judges - whenever there's litigation that involves music, musicians, or music instruments/equipment, you can count on all judges to lose all common sense and go for the dumbest, most short-sighted ruling - not unlike a parent that's fed up with their kids and just punishes the one they think is responsible for the disturbance.

Whatchagonnado.

Remains to be seen whether the claim that a judgment rendered in a lower German court actually has jurisdiction over the entire world - I would think and wager not.

There's also the not small matter of other Fender guitars (Telecaster) and basses (Precision and Jazz) - who owns the design IP? That's not something the Germans have had, or should have any say in.

To be continued, no doubt.

 

US2741146A: Leo Fender patented the tremolo system for his "Stratocaster".
The design of this electric guitar was particularly revolutionary in 1954.



Source: www.dpma.de/dpma/veroeffentlichungen/meilensteine/patentemarkenpopkultur/e-gitarre/index.html

 

It has nothing to do with the current case. Also, patents expire after 20 years.

 

I've just seen some comments on YouTube, where people started to call the company "Offender".

 

So what is it really about?

In March 2026, the Düsseldorf Regional Court ruled that the characteristic body shape of the Fender Stratocaster is a copyrighted work of applied art.[25][26] This means that the well-known shape of the body is no longer considered merely functional product design, but rather an artistic achievement, and is therefore protected under European and German copyright law. In 2009, Fender Corporation had failed in its attempt to trademark the outline shapes of the Stratocaster, Telecaster, and Precision Bass.

The case arose from a legal dispute between Fender and the Chinese manufacturer Yiwu Philharmonic Musical Instruments Co., which had been selling Stratocaster-style guitars in Germany via online platforms such as AliExpress. The court concluded that these instruments unlawfully reproduced the Stratocaster design and prohibited the manufacture, offering, and sale of such guitars in Germany and the EU. Violations can be punished with fines of up to 250,000 euros or alternatively with imprisonment.

Source; https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fender_Stratocaster

 

Germans' propensity for litigation and love of sticking to the letter (and not to the spirit of the law) is pathological.

Welcome to Idiocracy. (You can trademark colours in most economies of some relevance though)

 

Talking about quality when it comes to Levi's is really out of place. A pair of 501s that easily lasted 2 to 3 years when worn intermittently 5 days a week back in 1985 barely lasts 6 months today; the fabric, which is thin and blended with elastic fibers, tears at the crotch. Total crap.
That’s why a French company (based in Nîmes) is enjoying huge success by reviving the original fabric and cut. Its only “flaw”: you don’t get the Levi’s label, but your jeans will easily last five years.

 

Fuck FMIC

 

Congratulations! Quality gets around quickly, and the company will certainly benefit. By the way, counterfeiting is in, so get creative and design your own label or simply counterfeit the existing Levi's label and sew it onto the jeans yourself!

 

If anyone wants to look up what the copy guitars and basses were in the 1970s and 1980s this has been going on for decades. If you were alive then you'll probably remember them. Ibanez as an example , started as a copy guitar cheap selling option to Fender and Gibson guitars. They weren't what they are now.
These days, people seem to litigate for anything. In some places in America, you can be sued if your dog shits on someone else's lawn. This is why I tend not to make any assessment on cases like this either way.

 

Clown world.

 

Whenever anyone publicizes suing someone or a company, it's like roll your eyes... "what now?"... yep clown world.

 

i love phil mcknight spoke with him a few times always been nice. Let fender dig themselves a grave, they arnt the only ones. Besides i am in the market for a green dot Ibanez Universe anyways : )

 

Not exactly, in fact, not at all. You missed the point entirely, which was the parallels between the two companies' trajectories (irregardless of your perception and opinion of quality).

As for quality, after two decades of buying/wearing (Italian and German brand) designer jeans, I went back to Levi's. The pair I bought in 2021 is still rocking today - that's five years later, not six months. Perhaps your washing machine needs maintenance.

That said, that's just a couple of pairs that I own - in the US - it's possible the quality is not the same in your native France, but, as you would've noticed in my comment, Levi's has changed (innovated) their manufacturing process: they no longer use extraordinary amounts of water (for ecological reasons). They use dry manufacturing, and they also stopped using lasers.

But again, that wasn't the point - nice whataboutism on your part, by the way (did you go to KGB school or Apartheid uni?) - which was: the parallels between the corporate travails (patents expiring, post war cultural relevance, intense competition, boutique brands, etc).

Look, I understand English is not your native language - and that's okay, English is only my fourth language - but yet, here I am making the effort to read every word you wrote to make sure I understood every nuance (assuming there was any) of your comment. Kindly pay me the same courtesy going forward, please. Thank you.

 

Their Gibson knocks off are solid as hell, I have a 76 LP Jr double cut model, it's pretty damn awesome. Its also got the later headstock, which is what got Ibanez, or Matsumoto, busted. The earlier models ripped off the Gibson headstock, the guitars were a duplicate to the T, and we all know how Gibson feels about their damn headstock. Epiphone wasn't even allowed to use it until recently (and along with the quality of those going up, it's funny they're selling like hotcakes now).

 

that is completely normal for his contributions.