For a while now, Gibson has been giving some strong hints that they’ll be focusing on protecting their trademarks. This also resulted in the controversial “Play Authentic” video that pretty much angered a huge portion of guitar players worldwide.
In particular, Gibson has been dealing with Dean Guitars and their parent company Armadillo lately. In the official company statement, shared as a press release, Gibson has now revealed a new update on the matter, reports Ultimate Guitar.
The jury ruling in May this year decides “to uphold Gibson’s long-established and well-recognized trademarks for Gibson’s innovative and iconic guitar shapes,” the company explains. The defendants, Dean and Armadillo, were found guilty of “infringement and counterfeiting.”
An update on the matter came in the press release, revealing that on July 28, Court ruled that Armadillo is to cease manufacturing, advertising, and sale of all guitars that infringe on these basic models and shapes:
- ES
- SG
- Flying V
- Explorer
- Hummingbird wordmark
The company also adds:
“Gibson is once again very pleased with the outcome after years of simply trying to protect their brand and business through well recognized intellectual property rights, rights that have been Gibson’s for decades.”
They also add that this legal victory means that guitar shapes are protected “for the past, present, and future” and that the win is also beneficial to all of Gibson’s fans, dealers, artists, and other partners. On top of that, Gibson sees this as a much bigger victory “for all of the iconic American brands that have invested in meaningful innovation and continued protection, only to see it diluted with unauthorized and often illegitimate knock-offs.”
The statement ends with a claim that Gibson will now focus on future innovations while “continuing to leverage its iconic past.” There have been no official statements by Dean representatives on the matter.
Photo: Martin Hesketh (Gibson Les Paul Standard Plus headstock (2014-08-16 06.06.49 by Martin Hesketh)), Prinz78390 (Dean V 30th anniversary – head)
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