Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

mad_dog_cole wrote:IF Gibson had been as anal about their designs as Rick are in the US then my bass wouldn't exist - and that would be a crime against music - rather than a crime against copyright infringement.

Nope. Nothing to do with "anal"; more like "legal", and by law here in the USA, RIC is required to defend its ownership of the trademarks by proceeding against violators. I'm not familiar with the details of their protection in other countries, but the UK is one in which there is protection offered and claimed, as well.

It's like this, Stu. The designs are their property. They bought them, paid for them, and registered them to protect them from copycats (unlike Gibson with the EB-3). It is not property in the sense of a house or car or boat, but it's property nonetheless, and theft of property is breaking the law. RIC has never lost a suit where they've proceeded against a violator, so the legal precedent is established and long-standing.

bassduke49 wrote:Ron Singer, I don't know about the other search engines, but I got this search string from a forumite years ago, and it helps find a lot of international sales: (...) But sometimes, a few US eBay Ricks slip through this search as evidenced by other forumite's finds that don't show up when I use this search. Don't know what in the string does that.

Paul, I believe that was me. Try this search, or remove the +'s.

rickaddict wrote:So what do you guys think the thumb screws do?

Like in a real Ric bridge: prevent palm-muting.

Thanks, Ilan, that's even better!!!

mad_dog_cole wrote:.......... and you think WE have it bad over here ???? At least we managed to get Cowell over your side for half the year!!! Now that is a win situation!

Absolutely right, Stu. I've never liked the use of the term 'British Invasion' to describe what happened here in the '60's. 'Liberation' would be a better term. As we all know, 'invasions' are not 'welcomed with open arms' (he said, tiptoeing with 'boots on the eggshells')....but that's a subject for a different thread, if not a different website.

Cowell's little enterprise is most definitely an invasion, with all the happy good will of the Blitzkrieg. That's what I call 'Cultural infringement'...

wayang wrote:..... the term 'British Invasion'...

Yeah, but the auditions are funny though ain't they??

jingle_jangle wrote: protect them from copycats (unlike Gibson with the EB-3)

Still with the empty flag-waving then? If all companies had done that we'd all be stuck with Mercedez-Benz 3 wheeled 4HP automobiles. My bass isn't a "copycat", it's a vast - different planet - improvement. I've been told more times than I wish to remember that recent Tokais are better in all respects than recent Gibsons. Tokai even have the audacity to release vintage issues now. But Rick have their own quality issues and haven't succeeded anyway in preventing the manufacture of close copies; they were there from Kay in the 70's & they're there now. So all their bombastics would be put to better use by putting their own house in order.
For every person on here who's said that they held off as a kid buying a copy Rick until they could get the real thing, I bet there's 10 kids NOW who wouldn't wait to get the real thing when the Rick copy they wanted is hit with an injunction and has gone & bought a copy Gibson or Fender instead.
I say Rick's stance is hurting them more in many respects than helping them.

mad_dog_cole wrote: I say Rick's stance is hurting them more in many respects than helping them.

Of all the musical instrument companies, I believe that RIC is in the best shape of all of them. How is their stance hurting them in more ways than it is helping them?
If Gibson and Fender guarded against what should be their intellectual properties, everyone would understand and this whole copy subject would be a non issue.

rickenbrother wrote:How is their stance hurting them in more ways than it is helping them?

mad_dog_cole wrote:Rick have their own quality issues and haven't succeeded anyway in preventing the manufacture of close copies; they were there from Kay in the 70's & they're there now. So all their bombastics would be put to better use by putting their own house in order.

INCOMING

Sounds of the whistle before the bomb drops.

aceonbass wrote:I don't get some of the excuses people give to justify trademark/copywrite/patent infringement. Do you really think the courts are gonna say it's okay to steal from someone just because they have QC issues? Let's try this again...IF RICKENBACKER DOES NOT ENFORCE THEIR RIGHTS, THEY WILL LOSE THEM FOREVER. But then again, if the company you own does not protect it's intellectual property and still get's by, I guess that's okay. What's that you say? You don't own a company or have any original ideas worth protecting? Figures

+1

And before this thread gets out of hand...