anymore trademarks besides double cream?

[kevinT]

I was wondering if there are any other trademarks in terms of pickup appearance that one should be aware of?

for example, is there one for Gibson's Dirty Fingers (e.g., black bobbins w/gold pole screws).

DiMarzio's camo bobbins trademarked?

[David Schwab]

for example, is there one for Gibson's Dirty Fingers (e.g., black bobbins w/gold pole screws).

Are you serious? Now that's silly.

You can do double cream as long as it doesn't look like a DiMarzio... like Carvin does.

Rickenbacker has a trademark on the horseshoe pickup, even though the patent ran out a long time ago. So the trademark only covers how it looks, and not how it works.

[kevinT]

Are you serious? Now that's silly.

Yes ...i'm serious. you just never know...if dimarzio can do it, i guess i was thinking that someone else could trademark a specific look.....the dirtyfingers pickup had a distinct look...that was the first one to come to mind.


David.....remember....i ask a lot of questions....even if it makes me look silly or stupid....no ego here

[soundmasterg]

Rickenbacker will have trouble defending that trademark if anyone contests it. You can't trademark the look of something if it looks the way it does because of how it functions because essentially that means you are trademarking the function. Lollar stopped making the ones he was doing, but not because of the trademark from what I understand, and Rickenbacker didn't even get the trademark until after they saw his that he was already making.

Greg

[David Schwab]

David.....remember....i ask a lot of questions....even if it makes me look silly or stupid....no ego here

I didn't mean you were silly! I meant that's a silly trademark!

Lollar stopped making the ones he was doing, but not because of the trademark from what I understand, and Rickenbacker didn't even get the trademark until after they saw his that he was already making.

Gee I don't know about that. I had heard they asked them to stop. I think there was another guy doing them too. But I don't know for sure.

Oddly, Rick Turner still makes them.

John Hall is probably reading this.

I mentioned on some forum that they should use graphite in their necks, and he wrote me an email telling me they can't, because of a patent, and then cited me the patent number for the Moses graphite neck, which has nothing to do with installing graphite rods in wood necks... a practice everyone does, and Moses even sells rods for!

I pointed out to him that wasn't a patent for graphite reinforced wood necks, and he said their lawyers said it was, and besides, they had a better plan.

I love Rics... but I don't understand the company.

[WolfeMacleod]

John Hall is probably reading this.

I won't comment on my thoughts about John Hall....

[Satamax]

I didn't mean you were silly! I meant that's a silly trademark!




Gee I don't know about that. I had heard they asked them to stop. I think there was another guy doing them too. But I don't know for sure.

Oddly, Rick Turner still makes them.

John Hall is probably reading this.

I mentioned on some forum that they should use graphite in their necks, and he wrote me an email telling me they can't, because of a patent, and then cited me the patent number for the Moses graphite neck, which has nothing to do with installing graphite rods in wood necks... a practice everyone does, and Moses even sells rods for!

I pointed out to him that wasn't a patent for graphite reinforced wood necks, and he said their lawyers said it was, and besides, they had a better plan.

I love Rics... but I don't understand the company.

Hi Everybody!

David, was that on the Mimf? Some days i wonder, there's been a crisis of "lawyer" threads on that forum!

[kevinT]

Who is john hall?

Is this someone that we should know about in the biz?

[David Schwab]

Hi Everybody!

David, was that on the Mimf? Some days i wonder, there's been a crisis of "lawyer" threads on that forum!

It might have been, but it was probably at the Ric Resource forum, or Rickenbacker's own forum. I don't remember, and he didn't say.

I got to missing my 4001's, which have been a a state of disrepair for a while... I'm going to restore one of them to stock 1974 condition, and was reading a lot of the Ric forums at the time.

I've always said he seems like a nice enough guy. He actually answers questions on the forums and stuff. But he seems over preoccupied with worrying about lawsuits and stuff. He might have just cause... who knows? Can't be easy running a famous company like that!

I played Rics for years... that's all I played. I love the stock classic 4001 for what it is, but I also developed my own ideas of how to make them better basses. The newer basses they have are in the right direction, they just need to address some things like make the 5 string neck a bit wider, and maybe update the pickups and electronics.

Who is john hall?

Is this someone that we should know about in the biz?

CEO of Rickenbacker.

[soundmasterg]

Yah, Mr. Hall seems like a cool guy, and as a Rickenbacker owner, I appreciate his willingness to go on the forums and help people with their questions, but he does seems to have a thing for patents, trademarks and lawsuits.

You would have to talk to Jason about the horseshoe thing if you want more info, and I doubt he wants it all in public, so I'm not saying anything more about that. I will say that you can bet that he didn't stop making them because of anything Rickenbacker was doing, and I doubt if he is worried about their trademark, and I wouldn't be either. It's about as hollow as many of Mesa Boogie's patents from what I hear.....it will just take someone to challenge it once and it won't stick. It was granted more because the people who granted it don't know a thing about guitars in my opinion.

Wolfe's probably taking the right approach here.

Greg

[WolfeMacleod]

Wolfe's probably taking the right approach here.

You notice my post was almost immediately edited. Lets just say it had a sexual innuendo of the oral nature directed at Mr Hall.

[nhall]

Trademarks

Yep...looks like eveyone is getting in on this trademark lark.....just emailed a guy selling an old DeArmond pickup on ebay (going under the name of 'eastlandmarketing') to ask if he knew anything on its spec., and got a very curt reply stating:-

"I actually have trademarked them and have them in production as we speak"

I cannot see how he would even think I'd buy the fact that he was claiming to be trademarking someone elses vintage design!!