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http://www.delcamp.us/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=55540
Luthiers: New threat from China: Trademark hijack! by GuitarVlog » Saturday 01 January 2011, 21:03 pm
It already happened to CF Martin. The worst part is, it's completely legal in China!
Excerpt from the main article:
[size=150%]International Trademark Nightmare
C.F. Martin executives got an unwelcome surprise when they arrived in Shanghai for Music China this past October: Another C.F. Martin had set up shop in the trade show hall.
The exhibit bore the Martin & Co. logo, down to the tag line "Est. 1833," and featured dead ringers of several best-selling Martin guitars. And yet the company had no relation to C.F. Martin.
"Like many other American companies, C.F. Martin & Co. Inc. has become the victim of unauthorized registration of its traditional trademark and of counterfeiting of its products in the People's Republic of China," said a statement C.F. Martin released after the international trade show.
But according to Ron Bienstock, a leading music industry attorney and partner with Bienstock & Michael, the Martin double was within its legal rights — at least in China.
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