Gibson warning video over trademark infringements

OilCityPickups

Fifty9 said:

How would the guitar builders on tFB feel if they came up with truly brilliant original design (or three) and subsequently loads of other builders/manufacturers cloned them and made a load of money from them? 

The answer is powerless, because that's what they'd be. I've watched one particular UK guitar builder have his products blatantly copied all over the world ... and without corporate lawyers and a truck load of money there is f--k all he, or any small maker can do.  So little guys can get ripped off with impunity ... and now we are all supposed to cheer when a big maker waves a stick at a bunch of smaller makers?  you can bet they won't take on the big copyists or the Chinese fake market ... so what's left? The answer is lot of little guys who supply products with often better quality control than Gibson themselves.

Danielsguitars

peteri said:

Fifty9 said:

How would the guitar builders on tFB feel if they came up with truly brilliant original design (or three) and subsequently loads of other builders/manufacturers cloned them and made a load of money from them? 

Whilst I think that's an interesting point - the fact is, if you take the Les Paul - first built in 1952, Gibson have not pursued with any vigour (to my knowledge) any major manufacturer apart from PRS, and they lost.

So threatening something 67 years after the initial build, is a little late I think?

Look at the 1948 bigsby merle travis model, looks very much like a les paul body shape to me, they didn't dream that up, they might have rounded the horn etc but still copied to some degree imo

poopot

Nah!... the les Paul is at least 10% different

Kittyfrisk

Philly_Q said:

Kittyfrisk said:

Three-ColourSunburst said:

WiresDreamDisasters said:

 they need to focus on bringing something to the table. Something that makes people perk up and take notice.

They have - hide glue and 'molecular plastic'.

Wow! I'm still using 'atomic' plastics. Must upgrade soon...

Apparently the same advice still holds true for air travel today 

jpfamps

OilCityPickups said:

The other interesting thing is that US patent law is lax to the point of idiocy ... the first patent for a humbucking pickup was granted in 1936 ... and yet practically identical products were the subject of 'original patents' by both Gibson and Gretsch in the 1950s .... EVEN after the 1935 design had been published in 1939 in an electronics magazine so was in the public domain and there was a truck load of 'prior art'. 

That isn't due to laxity in the patent law, but more to do with how patent offices work.

It is not in the patent office's interest to reject patents; that's how they make their money.

Essentially they will publish a patent as long as they consider there to be sufficient novelty in the application and that it doesn't infringe prior art or the idea is not in the public domain.

The first part of this equation, unless the idea is totally moronic (and believe me I've seen some moronic patents), can be taken care of by competent lawyers. The infringement of prior art would require the patent office to find that either the fundamental aspects of patent are in the public domain, or have been patented before.

Even now in the age of the internet it can be difficult to search patent archives as you are searching for concepts (as an aside a patent I was peripherally involved with misspelled a key word in the tittle but not in the text, and as a result the patent would not come up on searches. This happen twice so I suspect it was not an accident), so you can imagine in the 50's on something as obscure as a guitar pickup it would be hard for the patent offices to find prior patents.

How this all pans out, is that if you think your patent has been infringed, or you think that a patent is invalid, you need to take legal action against the offending party.

Kittyfrisk

https://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/edn-moments/4407004/Bell-and-Gray-both-apply-for-telephone-patents--February-14--1876

It appears that the whole area of patents can be 'interesting' to say the least.

Rabs

Fifty9 said:

How would the guitar builders on tFB feel if they came up with truly brilliant original design (or three) and subsequently loads of other builders/manufacturers cloned them and made a load of money from them? 

I would be quite flattered and chuffed that I had some kind of impact.. And with other people selling my designs I could at least claim to be the first and original maker....

If they copied my name (which wouldn't bring anyone anything), now that would be different.

VimFuego

/\ /\ yup, assuming I was a really good maker, then so long as they are not claiming that their work is my work and thus profiting from it, then I see no harm.
If, on the other hand, I'd developed a revolutionary new way of, say, bracing a acoustic guitar top and I'd patented it, then I'd give them a slap. You don't see Selmer suing people cos they also make saxophones (erm, not actually checked this, so I'm assuming Selmer haven't sued anyone for making saxophones). However, if someone was making sax's and claiming they were MkVI's then I would guess the lawyers would be at work. 

terada

VimFuego said:

/\ /\ yup, assuming I was a really good maker, then so long as they are not claiming that their work is my work and thus profiting from it, then I see no harm.
If, on the other hand, I'd developed a revolutionary new way of, say, bracing a acoustic guitar top and I'd patented it, then I'd give them a slap. You don't see Selmer suing people cos they also make saxophones (erm, not actually checked this, so I'm assuming Selmer haven't sued anyone for making saxophones). However, if someone was making sax's and claiming they were MkVI's then I would guess the lawyers would be at work. 

I think you mean Saxo-ma-phone 

VimFuego

it's how I say it in my head, even when I don't write it like that. 

Philtre

Gibson sets the bar too high for their Quality Managers - https://www.gibson.com/Careers/942/quality-manager

All they need is anyone off the street to take a look over, and say "that sucks, send it back"...

...or anyone who ever bought a Gibson guitar.

Bridgehouse

Philtre said:

Gibson sets the bar too high for their Quality Managers - https://www.gibson.com/Careers/942/quality-manager

All they need is anyone off the street to take a look over, and say "that sucks, send it back"...

...or anyone who ever bought a Gibson guitar.

One of my dogs would do a better job than the current lot. 

sev112

Philtre said:

Gibson sets the bar too high for their Quality Managers - https://www.gibson.com/Careers/942/quality-manager

All they need is anyone off the street to take a look over, and say "that sucks, send it back"...

...or anyone who ever bought a Gibson guitar.

Says you have to have a Black Belt.  I don’t know if that’s in judo or leather ! 

VimFuego

heh, they require a BS degree. Would start to explain so much.

antonyiv

Philtre said:

Gibson sets the bar too high for their Quality Managers - https://www.gibson.com/Careers/942/quality-manager

All they need is anyone off the street to take a look over, and say "that sucks, send it back"...

...or anyone who ever bought a Gibson guitar.

I’m sorry, this job posting is bullshit. It is more relevant to a software QA. They don’t need more bureaucracy, KPIs and email exchange. They need people with hands on experience on guitars, people that can re-wind picks and refret guitars if needed. 

Gibson is becoming the typical US corporation. 

Tenebrous

antonyiv said:

Philtre said:

Gibson sets the bar too high for their Quality Managers - https://www.gibson.com/Careers/942/quality-manager

All they need is anyone off the street to take a look over, and say "that sucks, send it back"...

...or anyone who ever bought a Gibson guitar.

I’m sorry, this job posting is bullshit. It is more relevant to a software QA. They don’t need more bureaucracy, KPIs and email exchange. They need people with hands on experience on guitars, people that can re-wind picks and refret guitars if needed. 

Gibson is becoming the typical US corporation. 

Becoming? It seems like it has been for decades.

WiresDreamDisasters

Wow. Never thought I'd see the armchair QA thing. I'm impressed!

As someone who worked in QA for the best part of 8 years let me tell you... it's a real skill, and no... some nobber off the street couldn't do it.

GoldenEraGuitars

Not sure if it’s been posted again...?

https://www.reddit.com/link/c1p9kc/video/zhucj5uxvx431/player

antonyiv

WiresDreamDisasters said:

Wow. Never thought I'd see the armchair QA thing. I'm impressed!

As someone who worked in QA for the best part of 8 years let me tell you... it's a real skill, and no... some nobber off the street couldn't do it.

Manual or Automation QA?

Kittyfrisk

^ Sounds like you were happier there, rather than in PR