Martin Trademark

ken_j · Post by **ken_j** » Mon Jul 25, 2011 2:08 pm

According to an article in August's PREMIERGuitar (pg. 25) after 161 years Martin received a trademark on their headstock design. I know there has been numerous guitar companies dating back quite a few years that use the same design. Some companies are still producing guitars with this design. I am curious how this will effect the used market and the effects on companies such as Collings that still produce guitars with this design.

electrofaro · Post by **electrofaro** » Mon Jul 25, 2011 2:28 pm

Can one call that headstock a design? Rather the absence of design

8mileshigher · Post by **8mileshigher** » Mon Jul 25, 2011 2:49 pm

Interesting that Martin secured their rights on their headstock, so late in the game.

I remember JH had posted an article a year or two ago, about a legal decision and Fender being denied their rights, after so many decades of their own managerial default and not enforcing their own design claims, against all those knock-offs over the decades. IIRC seems that Fender sort of was trapped in the situation of use it or lose it.

ken_j · Post by **ken_j** » Mon Jul 25, 2011 5:07 pm

Fender's headstock is close to an early Martin and Bigsby design. Both of these were ahead of Fender in the timeline.

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