Michael Bass of Stevens International emailed out an interesting note to
inform us that companies like Boeing are seeking to turn US military
aircraft like P-51 Mustang and F-15 Eagle into trademarks so they can, in
turn, charge the hobby manufacturers licensing fees for making those
subjects into kits. This translates, of course, into higher kit prices for
all of us! Here's his note:
Greetings,
Attached is a copy of a letter we have constructed and sent to our local
congressman
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. Itappears all major kit makers in the USA are being harassed over the
licensing of military subjects as model kits. Aircraft companies have become
increasingly aggressive and threatening in the last year, and for those who
stock and/or import kits, if the kits are not licensed, you can expect
upcoming problems. We all need to do a lot of PR work on this, or we will
soon be paying increased costs for planes, tanks, ships and more.
We have spoken to two different trademark attorneys as well as numerous USA
model kit makers, and the answers are unanimous: these companies can attempt
to require licenses and royalties to the extent no one stops them or
contests it in court. For example already Boeing has registered P-51
Mustang and AV8B Harrier, and they are now beginning to require licenses to
make these subjects, even if the tooling is decades old. We intend to place
articles in trade and business magazines on this, as well as contacting our
local papers. If you can participate in your local area, do so. Any
questions once you read the attached, let me know.
Best regards,
Mike