Should we be worried?

[moonpup]

A friend sent this to me and I find it totally absurd and astounding if true. For the life of me, I can't understand corporate thinking these days!

http://www.adrants.com/2008/01/ford-slaps-brand-enthusiasts-returns.php

"Ford Slaps Brand Enthusiasts, Returns Love With Legal Punch

While brands certainly don't want people using their products, logos and other related imagery to create products of their, own, the hammer that Ford legal dropped on the Black Mustang Club seems a bit heavy handed. Recently the club created a calendar which contained images of club members' cars photographed by the members themselves. Ford didn't take kindly to this and asked CafePress, the service the group had chosen to print the calendars, to kill the project claiming all the images in the calendar are the property of Ford...including the Black Mustang Club logo.

It's understandable that a brand would and should do everything it can to protect itself from any kind of potential negative effect but to attack a group of people who, clearly, love the product in question simply for showing their love of that product is, well, idiotic and more harmful to the brand had they done nothing at all.

BMC Owner Lisa commented to group members, "I'm sorry, but at this point we will not be producing the 2008 BMC Calendar, featuring our 2007 Members of the Month, solely due to Ford Motor Company's claim that they own all rights to the photos you take of your car. I hope to resolve this soon, and be able to provide the calendar and other BMC merchandise that you guys want and deserve!"

We hope this can be resolved as well. It's one thing to protect your brand from being harmfully tarnished. It's another to shoot down the very people who love your product the most.Wake up and smell the CGM, Ford."

[Walter Moore]

Heh... there must be some truth to the story. Check out their forums. They have big CENSORED labels covering every place the word "mustang" or any of the Ford logos appear:

http://www.bmcforums.com/cmps_index.php

[hls30.com]

Nissan has done most everything free in their power to erase the Datsun brand from their ranks, so I doubt they will get on the cases of those of us with Datsuns. Look out you Nissan owners! Carlos learns fast.

Will

[geezer]

I would like to hear the official Ford reasoning behind this. It seems like they will be generating a lot of negative PR. Do they think they can afford to lose customer loyalty by alienating their biggest fans?

[EScanlon]

From the brief read I did to it, it sounds as though someone got the CYA partyline from Cafepress who refuses to print anything with a trademarked item on it. Then that same someone got all bent out of shape about it and has passed it on to several media sources.

IIRC Mike also tried to get some club merchandise printed through there and was met with the same "You don't own the Z Trademark." BS.

FWIW

E

[TomoHawk]

Gee... This sounds like software licensing...

Now, I'll bet they won't even let you change the oil in your engine, unless you drive it to a factory-approved service station, as you'll be infringing on the license you were given to only DRIVE your car, not to service it or make modifications.

You can't:

Put different tyres or wheels on.

Buy any aftermarket parts

modify or change anything on the engine.

No tune ups, oil changes or even wiping the dirt off.

Change the radio presets?

etc.

If the manufacturere didsn't put it there, you can't touch it. Maybe you can't even put in 'un-approved' gas (not made by the manufacturer for your car.)

Maybe there's some kind of big misunderstanding going on? Maybe that club was actually doing something they shouldn't have done?

We will soon see if this spreads. then we will know.

thxZ

[TomoHawk]

It looks like only the main banner has the censored pasties on it. There are pictures of Mustang magazine covers, ads for Mustang parts suppliers, etc. There are plenty of instances of the word 'Mustang' all over.

This make me now think that the calendar mentioned had something in it that wasn't very appropriate for most people, and the way the name of the website was spelled or portayed wasn't very flattering or appropriate.

As in:

a Club for Black Mustangs?

Mustangs for black people?

Dumb stuff like that.

thxZ

[240ZX]

Geeze TomoHawk, you may be putting ideas in thier head, as we type, with your humor!!!

Gee... This sounds like software licensing...

Now, I'll bet they won't even let you change the oil in your engine, unless you drive it to a factory-approved service station, as you'll be infringing on the license you were given to only DRIVE your car, not to service it or make modifications.

You can't:

Put different tyres or wheels on.

Buy any aftermarket parts

modify or change anything on the engine.

No tune ups, oil changes or even wiping the dirt off.

Change the radio presets?

etc.

If the manufacturere didsn't put it there, you can't touch it. Maybe you can't even put in 'un-approved' gas (not made by the manufacturer for your car.)

Maybe there's some kind of big misunderstanding going on? Maybe that club was actually doing something they shouldn't have done?

We will soon see if this spreads. then we will know.

thxZ

[WingZr0]

Geeze TomoHawk, you may be putting ideas in thier head, as we type, with your humor!!!

TOO Late !

I already signed up and jus made up a Mustang I don't even own using the

same screen name for here before I read this post, and got sent

to the Black Mustang Club too!!!

I think my car color had something to do with it :tapemouth

Must say it's pretty sad when stuff like this happens.

No wonder they're sales are still STUKA DIVE BOMBING.

~Z~

[BRE-240Z]

This make me now think that the calendar mentioned had something in it that wasn't very appropriate for most people, and the way the name of the website was spelled or portayed wasn't very flattering or appropriate.

As in:

a Club for Black Mustangs?

Mustangs for black people?

I don't see any evidence of that. Where on earth did you get that from?

More likely, Ford thinks that someone stands to make some money off of the calendar, they know that the other party hasn't licensed the use of Ford's logo, and Ford really couldn't care less that the 'offender' is an enthusiast's club.

[justinr54321]

I don't see any evidence of that. Where on earth did you get that from?

More likely, Ford thinks that someone stands to make some money off of the calendar, they know that the other party hasn't licensed the use of Ford's logo, and Ford really couldn't care less that the 'offender' is an enthusiast's club.

You may be right, however, they're doing this after the year they go banrupt, so it seems to me Ford is trying any angle to make a buck right now....

[JonnyRock]

Now, I'll bet they won't even let you change the oil in your engine, unless you drive it to a factory-approved service station, as you'll be infringing on the license you were given to only DRIVE your car, not to service it or make modifications.

We don't have to worry about this. Ferrari tried it with the Enzo, requiring oil changes to be done at a Ferrari dealership using oil that was $60 per quart otherwise Ferrari would void their warranty. And they got hit with a class action lawsuit and lost. Judge said Enzo owners had the right to change their own oil, or get it changed wherever they wanted and were free to use less expensive oil without fear of voiding their warranty.