Ford is suing companies for use of Mustang name?

[jeffnoel]

Check this out........ Ford is suing companies that use trademark names such as "Mustang" ( can I say that now? ) in their trading name. Companies such as "Mustangs Plus" are being ordered to stop using the name in all correspondence and advertising and pay $10,000 in damages.

Ford also states they may go after clubs and publications as well !!!!

Here's a link to the story. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060510/MONEY/605100302&SearchID=73244336366752

I have copied the text here also as they have moved the story a cpouple times and the link may not be working.

Mustang mayhem
Stockton firm faces suit by Ford for trademark violation

MICHELLE MACHADO
Record Staff Writer
Published Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Mustangs Plus owner Ron Bramlett sits with one of the Mustangs that he provides parts for Tuesday. The Stockton parts store was ordered by Ford Motor Co. lawyers to stop using the sports car name.

STOCKTON - Mustangs Plus Inc., which has spent 25 years building up its specialty parts business under the Mustang moniker, now must tear that trademark from its business and Internet domain names or face a suit by Ford Motor Co.

Compliance with Ford's demands will negatively impact company value in the present and company sales in the future, said Ron Bramlett, a partner in family-owned Mustangs Plus at 2353 N. Wilson Way in Stockton.

"I was a young man when I started this. You work half your life and then have it snatched," said Bramlett, 52.

Ford also is trying to protect the value of the business it has built since 1903, said Gregory Phillips, a partner in the firm that drafted the cease and desist letter.

"The courts have recognized that a trademark name such as Mustang is an important asset of Ford Motor Co.," Phillips said.

The Feb. 16 letter from Howard, Phillips and Andersen, a Utah law firm representing Ford on intellectual property enforcement matters, asked Mustangs Plus to:

» Transfer to the automaker the registration for mustangsplus.com.

» Submit to government offices all forms necessary to discontinue registration of the Mustangs Plus name.

» Cancel Internet and telephone directory listings and advertising under the Mustangs Plus name.

» Turn over for destruction all signs, banners, business cards and collateral materials.

» Issue a check to Ford for $10,000 in damages.

Since 2000, the firm has sent "hundreds" of similar letters to businesses perceived to have trampled on Ford trademarks, Phillips said.

Ford has been successful in collecting damages in most of those cases.

While most businesses settle out-of-court, about 50 lawsuits have been filed, and all of those were resolved in Ford's favor, according to Phillips.

The scope of trademark infringement actions could be widened to include publications and organizations that use Mustang and other Ford trademarks, he said.

In the 1990's, Ford sent guidelines to selected restoration parts manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers, including Mustangs Plus, authorizing the use of trademarked names as long the business name was accompanied by a qualifying word or phrase such as "vintage" or "classic."

Bramlett and his partners believed Mustangs Plus met that criteria, and a decade of silence from Ford quarters deemed confirmation.

Bramlett believes that the use of the Mustang name by those unaffiliated with Ford amounts to free advertising.

"I have to believe in those years Mustang was glad to have people use the name," Bramlett said.

That argument has been rejected by the courts, Phillips said.

Harry Pulliam, owner of Mustang and Muscle Parts in Oakdale, in the mid-1980's received a letter similar to the one recently delivered to Mustangs Plus.

"I told them a long time ago I would be willing to sell Chevy parts," he said.

Now, two decades later, a legal battle would hardly be worth his while.

"I would just quit," he said.

Intellectual property is a gray area of the law, said Gregg Meath, a Stockton attorney who teaches Internet and computer law at University of the Pacific's McGeorge School of Law.

Meath said that Mustang Plus' use of the trademark is likely fair since it is descriptive and does not imply affiliation with Ford.

"How else are they to tell people what it is they do?" he said.

But, he said, a court battle would be a "big guy vs. little guy" fight that would cost Mustangs Plus tens of thousands of dollars.

"We try to wear the white hats and be reasonable," Phillips said. "It's already bad when you have a big company come after a little company."

For now, Mustangs Plus and Ford are at a stalemate.

"We've spent some time with our attorney, who has spent some time with them. It's very costly and it's going nowhere," Bramlett said.

Phillips also voiced frustration with the lack of resolution.

"Ford is not trying to put this guy out of business. We've offered Mustangs Plus a reasonable transition period of three to six months.

Mustangs Plus partners, who include Bramlett's brother, David, will likely not sign the Ford agreement, viewing such an action as an admission of guilt,

But they have decided to rename the business using the word "restomod," a term referring to car restoration and modification that Mustangs Plus copyrighted.

The wording of the final name has yet to be ironed out, though: That decision must wait for another business to relinquish its hold on the "restomod" moniker.


Contact reporter Michelle Machado at (209) 943-8547 or mmachado@recordnet.com

[stangmanx]

Thats not right. Ford must not be making enough money.

[HerNastyNotch]

ford has to pick on the little guys, eh? shitbags. love the cars. don't like the company.

[Hmongstang]

thats fucked up...... i live like 8miles from Mustang Plus, the owner there is a great guy and they built bad ass mustangs...... maybe i'll go and convince him to change the name to GOTSTANG :thumpupn:

[YsOffcr]

Yea, they're hurtin for money. They are closing down the Norfolk Ford Plant in 2008, and it has the highest ouput of F-150s. I guess all the Mustang clubs will get targeted next if they get a wild hair up their butt.

[steelfalcon29]

It's embarassing!!!! That's screwed up on so many levels!!!!!! This kind of media has to be doing wonders for their sales!!!! I sware if this had come out before I bought mine.....well I wouldn't own a ford...I'm sorry but this kind of shit burns me to the core!!! GM has got to be loving this knowing the new Camaro is about to go into production!!! Just my 2C!!!

[tankglh21]

yeah i remember a few years back, they were sueing companys if they had ford anywhere in their url's. i stand with nasty, the compnay has less than decent values on how they see their customers but i like the cars

[Frosty]

I've said it once and I'll say it again, this is my last Ford.

[Brickyard]

Well, I've told a couple people but my next car will be powered by a real engine, like a LS1....

: puts on flame suit :

This is almost as bad as Harley Davidson sueing a little old lady for embroidering their logo on bandanas.

[meneep]

Don't think for a moment that GM won't do the same thing to people that use 'Camaro' in their business name.
This is a fucked up thing for Ford to be doing, but if it's successful, GM will follow suit (like they always do).
This is just a bad thing to happen.

[NorCalRoush2]

Though I dont like the thought of lawsuits. I can to an extent see where ford is coming from. For every one good company that sells ford products (or products for fords) there is probably at least 1 or 2 more bad companies that either deliver subpar products or horrible customer service. I have bought enough products for my mustang to find the good suppliers and steer clear of the trouble companies.

Thats the way I see it at least.

[Nicoleb3x3]

Honestly, you must remember that lawyers sometimes write their own agenda and write their own pay checks.

A lawyer representing a rock n roll artist from the 80's sued some recent artitst for a song with similar "feel' and "beat". I heard it myself it and was barely even close to the same. ...but anyway, the lawyer and the "suits" involved created this on their own, and the actual rock n roll artist was not even involved, never mind agreed with it.

so; who's to say these lawyers of Ford have their own agenda and goals. And the true owners and key players of ford even are involved or aggree? With a big company like Ford, I'm not sure we should be reading to much into this...Ford is more than a couple of lawyers and a couple of suits.

[stone_turp]

Well, I've told a couple people but my next car will be powered by a real engine, like a LS1....

: puts on flame suit :


:ban: :censored: Shame on you! Your mustang priviledges have been revoked! Go buy a Honda or grow a mullet and get a camaro NOW!!!!

[stangmanx]

I think the Mustang name really dosent belong to ford. It belongs to the real Mustang horses where ford got it from. How can they sue for something that they stole from from something else.

[tankglh21]

i agree with stangmanx!

[02BlueStang]

wonder if it has anything to do with SVT shutting down and selling the rights of the name "Cobra" to Shelby.....maybe they are trying to save whats left of the Mustang for themselves

[baddroptop]

thats stupid

[AutoBadges.com]

Yeah they are SERIOUSLY cracking down. I know of 3 companies already they have sent the "CEASE and DESIST" letter to...its really bad. That's why I never touch ANYTHING FORD related, to stay clear of these type issues.

[MachGT]

Please send Ford an email and let them know how you feel about this! Keep it civil



https://secure.ford.com/en/support/EmailUs.htm?&strTopic=Other&strQuestions=&strFirstName=&strLastName=&strEmail=

[mustangfreak123]

I don't agree with what they are doing, but I will always be a Ford man.

[steelfalcon29]

Originally Posted by Brickyard
Well, I've told a couple people but my next car will be powered by a real engine, like a LS1....

: puts on flame suit :


:ban: :censored: Shame on you! Your mustang priviledges have been revoked! Go buy a Honda or grow a mullet and get a camaro NOW!!!!

I'm with Brick!!!! I'm not going to put a flams suit on...bring it on!! Never was a ford person, seen this stang, loved the color and bought it. Since then yes I have fell in love with it. Both the camaro and stang have there strong and weak points but I don't think for a min. GM is stupid enough to do some shit like this!! Ford keeps this going and I'm with Frosty.....this will be my last Ford product! And for those of you that don't know what my 90% D/D is here's a pic of her. http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h63/steelfalcon29/Cars/1ff9459d.jpg

[crimsonblack]

Ford and Chevy are so close to Chapter 11 it's pathetic. Neither manufacturer can understand that it's about pricing and not safety & family features. A few years ago I remember when George Lucas (Star Wars) went after all the fan based websites dedicated to his movie franchise. Fox Network has done the same thing with X-Files and Paramount over Star Trek.

Mutang Unlimited will likely be next on their list. If they are smart they'll change their moniker and name before they get a $10,000 bill.

[steelfalcon29]

Ford and Chevy are so close to Chapter 11 it's pathetic. Neither manufacturer can understand that it's about pricing and not safety & family features. A few years ago I remember when George Lucas (Star Wars) went after all the fan based websites dedicated to his movie franchise. Fox Network has done the same thing with X-Files and Paramount over Star Trek.

Mutang Unlimited will likely be next on their list. If they are smart they'll change their moniker and name before they get a $10,000 bill.
All these stang places should start selling other products for other makers...hell I would but I'm very vendictive(sp)

[crimsonblack]

Mustangs and Fast Fords magazine... will Ford go after them? I wonder if FORD believes they own the term "5.0".

[Ironman92GT]

you know.. all there gonna do is change it to "Stangs Plus" lol in all rights of the word mustang, gotstang is not inline to be sued since it doesnt use any form of the word "mustang" only a nickname of the super nice muscle car lol

[AutoBadges.com]

it still cuts it close...bc stang is in reference to MUSTANG....hopefully be ok

[EddieGT]

I'm going to enroll in law school... Upon graduation and passing my bar exam, I will seek to bring back up the Plymouth division of Chrysler with funds collected from a lawsuit demanding that New Line pays a hefty amount for each instance of the word "Laser" used by Dr. Evil in Austin Powers movies, times the number of copies of each movie out on VHS and DVD.

The proceeds will be used to fund a counter-lawsuit against Ford, in which the name Mustang will become publicly available for use, even by other car manufacturers.

[maemaimay]

thats just f'ing gay. ford's just freaking bored.

[auriansmustang]

I've said it once and I'll say it again, this is my last Ford.
:looney:

[johnnysstang]

Well someone could draw a petition up..Have everyone sign it and send it to Ford...

[StarDriver]

It's all about copyright infringement. I deal with this alot, I search ebay looking of rpeople selling merchandise with Ron's name on it without permission. They usually get the letter within 48 hours of me finding them. Alot of them do this trying to make a buck off of someone else. I guess Ford feels the same way.

[crimsonblack]

I'm with Brick!!!! I'm not going to put a flams suit on...bring it on!! Never was a ford person, seen this stang, loved the color and bought it. Since then yes I have fell in love with it. Both the camaro and stang have there strong and weak points but I don't think for a min. GM is stupid enough to do some shit like this!! Ford keeps this going and I'm with Frosty.....this will be my last Ford product! And for those of you that don't know what my 90% D/D is here's a pic of her. http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h63/steelfalcon29/Cars/1ff9459d.jpg

Come on Steel. GM would do it in a minute. The only reason they have is that the company name is "Chevorlet" and not Chevy, so they can't copyright the name like Ford can't do with Stang. If all the website and businesses had the name Chevorlet rather than Chevy they would have suits against them. And who the hell will name their business "General Motors"? All big busnesses are afraid of copyright infringement and losing control of the moniker/ name.

What the heck are you gonna purchase that GM makes? They having nothing sporty after the vet and no matter what you do to a vet, it looks like a vet or gaudy looking vet. The camaro and Firebird are gone. If they bring back the retro-style camaro... there's a thought. But personally I would prefer the challenger/cuda due out in 2008/2009. GM is pretty lame right now... :gay: Look at your picture above. The lines, color and custom work on your stang blows that blue vet out of the water... any day.

[Frosty]

Come on Steel. GM would do it in a minute. The only reason they have is that the company name is "Chevorlet" and not Chevy, so they can't copyright the name like Ford can't do with Stang. If all the website and businesses had the name Chevorlet rather than Chevy they would have suits against them. And who the hell will name their business "General Motors"? All big busnesses are afraid of copyright infringement and losing control of the moniker/ name.

What the heck are you gonna purchase that GM makes? They having nothing sporty after the vet and no matter what you do to a vet, it looks like a vet or gaudy looking vet. The camaro and Firebird are gone. If they bring back the retro-style camaro... there's a thought. But personally I would prefer the challenger/cuda due out in 2008/2009. GM is pretty lame right now... :gay: Look at your picture above. The lines, color and custom work on your stang blows that blue vet out of the water... any day.
So does the girl.:thumpupn:

[SAVGE 89]

it still cuts it close...bc stang is in reference to MUSTANG....hopefully be ok
From what I read on the hoofbeat article on MM - Ford is going after the words Mustang, Stang & Pony (look at the middle column, bottom). All I can say is that this really bites.

http://www.badmustangsclub.com/graphics-misc/hoofbeats_01.gif

Looks like depending on how this all pans out - a lot of sites, companies, and websites are gonna have some big changes in the future.

[AmericanMetal]

Ford and Chevy are so close to Chapter 11 it's pathetic. Neither manufacturer can understand that it's about pricing and not safety & family features. A few years ago I remember when George Lucas (Star Wars) went after all the fan based websites dedicated to his movie franchise. Fox Network has done the same thing with X-Files and Paramount over Star Trek.

Mutang Unlimited will likely be next on their list. If they are smart they'll change their moniker and name before they get a $10,000 bill.

To defend a trademark don't they have to establish a long history of protecting it in court, rather than jumping in suddenly after 40 years?

Why isn't the maker of the P51 Mustang plane going for big bux by chasing Ford? They're both in the motorized transportation category, so their products could possibly be confused with one another due to shared use of the name.

Domestic automotive marketers are indeed misguided. The "family car" field is so overcrowded that there's no way one can stand out and take over the segment by a large margin -- at least not with their current cookie cutter styling and emphasis on mundane features. Notice that even the one-time "family Camry" is now shedding that moniker like a hot potato skin and competing in NASCAR in an attempt to differentiate itself.

There's a reason ricers are everywhere - they're very inexpensive cars that people can get easily and customize to their liking when they've got only a few bucks to spare. These kids can't afford Cobras or even a decent catback, but still want to set themselves apart and possibly go fast. I saw an Evo on a dealer lot that had 4-5 different people milling around it all weekend; by Monday it was gone. It's got 4 doors but nobody's trying to sell it as a "family car." That would be stupid because you can see who's buying them - young drivers on tight budgets who can't pay insurance on a Stang - and they're selling like hotcakes.

Meanwhile, I hear the recent attempt at a Dodge muscle car is being pulled due not only to ugliness but low sales. The same 5,000 baby boomers aren't going to buy every single V8 out there. There's got to be some incentive; either personal memories evoked by the newer version or for the younger folks, hella good pricing.

[electricgreen]

This needs a bump!! I'm copy & pasting something jeffnoel posted in the thread about this on the classics forum over at stangnet (in regards to the www.fomoco.com site):

"inre: My Forum post of a few minutes ago...

Ok, folks, its official - the folks at Ford (actually, one of their outside
law firms) have obtained a court order to seize Fomoco.com, as of
early this morning. They will also be claiming two other domains I'd
paid for, but never developed.

I can't be certain when the 'site will go dark, so I'm assuming that is
imminent. Due to the vagaries of on-line technology, it may already
be unreachable from wherever you are, in the world.

I will try to have a temporary web-board set up by noon, Eastern, tho'
I'm not sure if that's soon enough. Meanwhile, I'm writing to a few of
you, privately. Some of you guys know each other, so maybe you can
pitch in and try to contact the others? If the Forum's still running, you
can grab some eMail addresses, from there.

Guess that's it, for now. I'll post (and write) again, later...soon as I've
got time & something useful to say.

Regards,

Allen Cross
http://www.fomoco.com"


Looks like they aren't backing down and are infact going after websites also. While this may have pissed you off before, you may have assumed that unless you have/plan to own a classic it probably didn't effect you much because you could still get parts for your Stang either way. Consider Mustang Tuning or 5.0 Resto, if they went after fomoco, they might be next. FOMOCO did not even contain "mustang" or "stang" or "pony" in the url. Pass the word, people-the Mustang community as a whole needs to get together to stop this. I feel ashamed to be on Mustang alley at the WDC now. I'm not too worried about my two sites yet, they are so small I'm sure they aren't even blips on the radar-but once they get through all the big ones, who knows-even personal sites might be next!!

All I can say is "hey Ford- :fu: " I think I'm really beginning to dig my Baja even more...I'm sad to think that the three Fords I have now might be my last ever-but I can't see supporting a company that is willing to kill off everything that makes it what it is to enthusiests. Sure, someone shopping around for a new DD might still buy a Focus instead of a Cobalt and not think anything of it. But, the heart of Ford will be lost if the enthusiests are. I guess we better get moving and buy all the resto parts we need for Eleanor before they put all the after market places out of business!!

[crimsonblack]

To defend a trademark don't they have to establish a long history of protecting it in court, rather than jumping in suddenly after 40 years?

The word "Trademark" says it all. A company can sit by and let you take their product to a new level as aftermarket companies and fans have done with the Mustang name and product and later go after these same people simply because they OWN the rights to the name. As for them attacking stuff with the word "Stang" it seems unlikely they can have the trademark on the slang. Time will actually tell on that.

However, if you actually own a real Mustang Pony (the horse) and create a website about that horse title say "MustangSally.com" Ford can have a very hard time taking the .com from you. There was a recent case where a mans son was named the same a some big name company. They tried to get the .com from him in court and it was ruled in favor of the guy. The site actually featured the son and the court ruled there was no copyright infringement since the site did not feature anything related to their product.

More than closing aftermarket companies it could actually hurt the Ford Mustang itself by turning companies off from selling the products and fans from having sites or even purchasing the automobile. Ford is really screwing up on this effort.

[steelfalcon29]

The word "Trademark" says it all. A company can sit by and let you take their product to a new level as aftermarket companies and fans have done with the Mustang name and product and later go after these same people simply because they OWN the rights to the name. As for them attacking stuff with the word "Stang" it seems unlikely they can have the trademark on the slang. Time will actually tell on that.

However, if you actually own a real Mustang Pony (the horse) and create a website about that horse title say "MustangSally.com" Ford can have a very hard time taking the .com from you. There was a recent case where a mans son was named the same a some big name company. They tried to get the .com from him in court and it was ruled in favor of the guy. The site actually featured the son and the court ruled there was no copyright infringement since the site did not feature anything related to their product.

More than closing aftermarket companies it could actually hurt the Ford Mustang itself by turning companies off from selling the products and fans from having sites or even purchasing the automobile. Ford is really screwing up on this effort.

My point exactly!!!!! I'm just ashamed to be associated with this and you can't say your not if you own one. Sure I own one and so do you and both of us hate what there doing but in the eyes of everyone on the outside of the mustang world sees a stang owner as part of this. Sure I don't care what everyone else thinks but this is hurting everything even remotely associated with the Mustang. If fomoco was hit by this it makes one wonder where gotstang.com sits on the hit list? As far as the vette compared to the stang....there is no comparasion to me. The body lines on the C3's are so much more eye pleasing vs. the '04 stang. IMO...

[02BlueStang]

Ford is digging themselves their own grave.....so they want to protect the name and keep it strictly for themselves, I can respect that....but going after the customers that have praised your products and services for so many years and taking the things away that they rely on to modify your car or meet other enthusiasts is just shooting themselves in the head....

Im thinking the whole reason they are doing this is so that its harder to find aftermarket companies selling products and more people will go to the dealerships for their parts...which dont sell anything that I want really and have prices marked up so high its ridiculous....Its almost like they want a monopoly....

and to throw something else in...Shelby has copyrighted the dual hood stripes on the stang...so no longer can you have the hood stripes like on the new 07 Cobra that say anything such as GT500, GT350, Shelby etc...Shelby pulled the license of companies that were able to stripe cars with its name....but at least you can have normal stripes....least for now anyway

[OZ98Cobra]

I haven't been around much lately - too busy working unfortunately - but I would like to add something to this debate:

This issue is VERY serious - not only are legitimate companies, many of whom helped make the Mustang the phenomenon and the sales success that it is today, being victimized and in some cases forced out of business, but so are Mustang clubs and enthusiast organizations - including groups like gotstang.com.

Whether Ford is being motivated by lawyer sponsored greed, or a very misguided marketing dept., the fact is this is one of the biggest examples of a company literally biting the hand that feeds them that I have seen in a long long time!

While I respect Ford's right to preserve their trademarks and their logos and names, and their are clear cases out there where people are using Ford names and logos inappropriately or without a licensing agreement in situations where an agreement should be in place, Ford suing legitimate clubs, enthusiast orgs, and businesses like Mustangs Plus who have been in business for years and contributed to the Mustang's success is just plain madness!

So what can we do about it? Actually, we can a lot - the Mustang community is not small - and what's more, we all talk to each other a whole lot via forums and clubs like this one. What is called for here is some good old fashioned people power to send a strong message to Ford! Now while petitions and emails, etc. are worth the time and effort to do, I think the best action we as a community of Ford customers can take to protect what we have is direct action that will send a clear and strong messge to the management and bean counters at Ford - we need to all band together and REMOVE ALL FORD AND MUSTANG BADGING FROM OUR VEHICLES - and make it known to the press that we are doing so.

Perhaps in place of Ford and Mustang badges, we need bumper stickers that communicate what Ford is doing - I'm sure someone who is good with with Photochop could whip up a stylized graphic of a pony biting a hand and attached a suitable tag line? ;)

So who's up for this? Lets do it now, remove those badges and start spreading the word on other forums and boards - take pics and post them - and as it gains momentum online, we will tell our friends in the Mustang press to spread it even further!

[steelfalcon29]

I haven't been around much lately - too busy working unfortunately - but I would like to add something to this debate:

This issue is VERY serious - not only are legitimate companies, many of whom helped make the Mustang the phenomenon and the sales success that it is today, being victimized and in some cases forced out of business, but so are Mustang clubs and enthusiast organizations - including groups like gotstang.com.

Whether Ford is being motivated by lawyer sponsored greed, or a very misguided marketing dept., the fact is this is one of the biggest examples of a company literally biting the hand that feeds them that I have seen in a long long time!

While I respect Ford's right to preserve their trademarks and their logos and names, and their are clear cases out there where people are using Ford names and logos inappropriately or without a licensing agreement in situations where an agreement should be in place, Ford suing legitimate clubs, enthusiast orgs, and businesses like Mustangs Plus who have been in business for years and contributed to the Mustang's success is just plain madness!

So what can we do about it? Actually, we can a lot - the Mustang community is not small - and what's more, we all talk to each other a whole lot via forums and clubs like this one. What is called for here is some good old fashioned people power to send a strong message to Ford! Now while petitions and emails, etc. are worth the time and effort to do, I think the best action we as a community of Ford customers can take to protect what we have is direct action that will send a clear and strong messge to the management and bean counters at Ford - we need to all band together and REMOVE ALL FORD AND MUSTANG BADGING FROM OUR VEHICLES - and make it known to the press that we are doing so.

Perhaps in place of Ford and Mustang badges, we need bumper stickers that communicate what Ford is doing - I'm sure someone who is good with with Photochop could whip up a stylized graphic of a pony biting a hand and attached a suitable tag line? ;)

So who's up for this? Lets do it now, remove those badges and start spreading the word on other forums and boards - take pics and post them - and as it gains momentum online, we will tell our friends in the Mustang press to spread it even further!

Hell yeah I'm with Oz!!!!!!! Damn straight i'll remove all that shit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[electricgreen]

Someone on Stangnet did debadge their Stang-and mailed the badges to Ford!!

[blown93feature]

I believe what your seeing is ford finding ways to stay above water. They know with there bonds on the junk list that they need to find other ways to generate revenue,so what better way than to threaten every franchise that bears the name in any form.

What your seeing is a desperate attempt to force anyone who makes money with the name to pay ford royalties or in better words "piece of the action". I believe if ford decides to pursue this you will see many companies stay in buisness but at a price and the others that don't comply fall out of site. I know that ford has a clear understanding of how much money there is made in conjunction with there name so why not get a big piece of it because they are loosing a big chunk to people that make a living off anything associated with it.

There is a mfg out there that makes piece of equipment that is refered to as a "skid steer" which is used in construction. The actual name of the equipment is called "mustang" which also incorporates the running horse on the side of it next to the name. This manufacturer is huge and has been around for a while so I can just imagine what's going to happen to them!

[NightHawk00]

this is really ridiculous and really embarassing for me as a ford person. sad thing is if there was a big enough Mustang parts company to fight Ford on this issue, Ford would lose and all the other companies and clubs would be okay! but i don't think any of them can do it. so everyone should hit these two sites up to try and fight for our hobby-
http://www.petitiononline.com/65must65/petition.html
https://secure.ford.com/en/support/EmailUs.htm?&strTopic=Question_to_Ford_Motor_Co&strQuestions=&strFirstName=&strLastName=&strEmail=

and do you think Ford will sue the Mustang Club of America too?