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Eighth Air Force: Boeing B-17G™ & Bomber Re-supply Set 1:72


Drift

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Indeed, as the Airfix web page says:

Boeing, Douglas, McDonnell Douglas, North American Aviation, A-4 Skyhawk, AH-64, Apache Longbow,  B-17 Flying Fortress, B-25 Mitchell, C-47, DC-3, F-4 Phantom, P-51 Mustang their distinctive logos, product markings, and trade dress are all trademarks of The Boeing Company.

GM General Motors Trademarks used under license to Hornby Hobbies Ltd

Edited by Work In Progress
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That's understandable for Airfix but do we have to bow down to these corporate scum here too?

 

I say no!  Rename the thread and give them the finger!

 

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2 hours ago, Work In Progress said:

Indeed, as the Airfix web page says:

Boeing, Douglas, McDonnell Douglas, North American Aviation, A-4 Skyhawk, AH-64, Apache Longbow,  B-17 Flying Fortress, B-25 Mitchell, C-47, DC-3, F-4 Phantom, P-51 Mustang their distinctive logos, product markings, and trade dress are all trademarks of The Boeing Company.

GM General Motors Trademarks used under license to Hornby Hobbies Ltd

 

 

Infuriating, isn't it? Hundreds and thousands of Americans and personnel from Allied nations fought and died in these things -- paid for by the tax dollars of the American people, I might add -- and now some chump in a three piece suit can demand we pay for the mere privilege of using the name that the Army Air Force bestowed upon the aircraft. Sadly there's not a lot of political will to change this here, despite some attempts.

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5 hours ago, krow113 said:

Has anyone been sued?

Prolly not.

 

Actually I've heard that some little companies have had gratuity demands / cease and desist letters from the legal departments of (mostly American, to be fair) corporations on subjects like this. I haven't heard of any going to court, but rather the little product bearing the name and/or resemblance disappears and the little company goes bust through lack of product or struggles to find something else to make and sell.

 

In my view it's pure greed, but that's the culture. Rather than something to be milked for free money they could look at it as free brand awareness in letting kids and young adults get familiar with the company name and designations, but noooooo.

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I'm sure they could TM Boeing as their company name and Flying Fortress as I think their PR department coined that name.  But surely not B-17 or P-51 as they are designated by the US Government?  But it would be a brave company that took on a company that big...

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I think it's as much an issue of it just not being worth the trouble. Even if a little model making company felt they had a strong legal case, why would they tie up all that money - assuming they could access it - over a model kit?

 

I heard on another model forum that the US government was just as bad, having ideas about ALSO demanding gratuities for models of US military subjects or names. I don't know how far that got though - the subject went a bit quiet where I was reading it.

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21 minutes ago, Seahawk said:

And they were surely on thin ice copyrighting Mustang as that name was originally applied by the Air Ministry/RAF.  But it would be a brave company that took on a company that big...

 

Copyright is not the issue. Trademarks are the issue. Their position is that they (or in this case a company they acquired outright) sold aeroplanes under the name Mustang. The question of who thought a name up isn't relevant to a trademark argument: it's simply who has the word and styling registered in what categories of product.

Edited by Work In Progress
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To which the answer is that they did not, at least initially, sell the aeroplanes under the name Mustang.  They sold an aircraft which they called the NA-73, to which the customer applied the name Mustang.  (Why have they not similarly trademarked the name Dakota: because it's not as catchy - or just not known to Boeing's corporate lawyers?)

 

But I wouldn't bet my money on fighting that argument against a nest of well-funded weaselly corporate lawyers.  I'm reminded of the old saying about wrestling with pigs in mud.

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18 minutes ago, Seahawk said:

(Why have they not similarly trademarked the name Dakota: because it's not as catchy - or just not known to Boeing's corporate lawyers?)

Possibly a US state might fight back?

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There is one logo or corporate identity that has been 'stolen' so many times the lawyers and owners have given up trying to fight it.

They eventually resigned themselves to the fact that the artwork is so recognizable that copying it actually helps their cause!

Talk about full circle!

Anyone care to guess?

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lol no.

And hey Andrea arent these guys the last you would want to steal a trademarked image from?

boxart0003_zpswad98c3b.jpg

boxart0008_zps8ymy5ids.jpg

I've worked with trademarks and copyrights continuously , including the above image , for most of my life in signwork. I've never heard of anyone suing or being sued over artwork infringement..

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17 hours ago, GordonM said:

Possibly a US state might fight back?

 

Why would a US State have trademarked its name in an aviation products category? And on what basis? Trademark rights come from actual use of the trademark in a product or service category.

If you want to understand the basics have a look here, at least for US law, though at this level it is broadly similar with EU

https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks-getting-started/trademark-basics/trademark-patent-or-copyright

 

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