has anyone read the article in MM magazine about ford and the rights in using the name mustang? check out mustangtuning.com, they are changing their name

 

Yeah, seems kinda lame. I mean, until someone tries to make an actual car and name it a "Mustang" I don't see what the problem is. Mustangs have such a huge community, too, that it's rediculous to start getting itchy about the name. It'll only serve to tick people off.

Maybe MustangTuning.com will change their name to

"TheSightFormerlyNamedAfterTheCarMadeByFordKnownAs MustangOfficiallyLicensedAndUsedWithWrittenPermiss ion.com"

 

Maybe if Mustanftuning paid royalties for the use of the name. I'm sure it's copyrighted.

 

Maybe Ford would like the sound of CAMAROTUNING.COM better! Today the manufacturers realize the money in the aftermarket and want as much of it as possible but there are limits, they better not bite the hands that feed them!

 

i didnt see that in there......what page is it on?

 

Wow. That is incredibly lame of Ford.

Biting the hand that feeds is exactly what they're doing.

 

the article is towards the front of the magazine. does this mean ford will go after the MUSTANG RANCH? my question is why does ford wait 30 plus years to make this decision. its the aftermarket products that feed the mustang fever.

 

Lots of idiot bean couters in companies do this.
I run a small shop that works on Land Roves. Land Rover (owned by Ford) made us change our name from East Coast Land Rover to East Coast Rover.
A buddy of mine in CA had to change his shops name from Land Rovers Unlimited to West Coast Rover.
We can't use their logo, the font of the text in their ads, etc etc etc.
I see their point on one side, but I still think it is stupid. If I was Ford I'd look at all thoe "Mustang" words out there as free advertising!

 

To play devils advocate:

It's not a copyright thing, it's a trademark. The law says if you don't enforce your trademarks, you lose the right to them. If they didnt take action to prevent people from using the name Mustang, they'd lose the trademark on Mustang, and have to call the car something else, like the Ford Probe.

There was a bunch of bad press about Disney suing some pre-school that had painted mickey mouse et al on their walls, but really, it was the same thing.

The Mickey Mouse trademark is all Disney has, and Mustang is really all Ford has.

If it's not in the same field or industry, the trademark doesn't apply. Mustang ranch has nothing to do with Ford.

Also, there's the whole angle of aftermarket guys trying to make it look like they're affiliated or sponsored or endorsed, when they aren't.

A rose by any other name..

 

The horse was here before the car and called a Mustang before the car. I don't see how Ford can lay claim to everything Mustang. They even used the horse on the car. Create a new name, like say Scion, riceturd or something, and I can understand.