Ford starts legal dispute with YouTuber TJ Hunt over Streethunter S650 Mustang Build

[Wiley Marmot]

Those who seek attention (especially in public) shouldn't be surprised A when they get it, and B if it's not the kind they wanted.

Just sayin.........................

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[roadpilot]

Just because you buy a football and call yourself an athlete doesn't mean you have the legal right to start manufacturing and selling players jerseys and other items.

 

[Skye]

* I am not a lawyer, do not have a legal background

Copyrights

Patents

Trademarks

License Agreements

These things are in-place to keep us employed and the economy moving. Without them, there'd be no incentive to invest in and produce anything.

Infringements do occur. It's up to the holder of those protections to pursue them. For some items, it might not be worthwhile (aftermarket parts, off-label, overseas, ). For others, it could be (Company-branded item, sold as new. Off-label, but causing environmental or safety issues).

I'd like to think Ford has US and International teams of people pursuing counterfeit items. But we don't hear of them or their accomplishments, because we're not in those loops.

Ford does recognize and support a healthy aftermarket. They know styles will be copied and items adapted to other vehicles.

In this example, Ford is calling BS and ordering them to stop. I agree.

YMMV.

 

[9secondko]

Sincerely form of fla

it’s called licensing.

only if you step on IP. it doesn’t appear to be The case here.

is he violating patents? Selling knockoffs? Doesn’t look like it.

building aftermarket parts for customers to modify their cars - or modifying a car and selling it doesn’t make it a ford product.

I can paint a PlayStation 5 and add fans to it and resell. I haven’t done anything wrongthis is clear overreach.
Starting with the ECU lock, Ford has done a 180 discontinued its previously fervent support of the aftermarket and is now looking quite antagonistic. Oh sure you can sell wheels or a wing. Or shocks, etc. but don’t do anything meaningful like adding power. Or r else.

way too heavy handed. We have enough government overreach recently. Hate to see such attitude in the private sector.

 

[9secondko]

Actually… just saw the sheet metal.
Um… that’s problematic. It actually IS too close to the GTD.

IT LOOKS RAD. but that’s ford’s design.

leaving previous posts up as I believe in what I said. However, I have to say I jumped the gun in this instance.

it’s surprising that anyone would get this close to prior art and claim innocence.
Sorry syreethunter guys. You definitely have great taste and skills. But creating s
One thing inspired by a great design would be much better than almost directly copying. Love to see what version 2 looks like.

 

[broncoboy22]

Actually… just saw the sheet metal.
Um… that’s problematic. It actually IS too close to the GTD.

IT LOOKS RAD. but that’s ford’s design.

leaving previous posts up as I believe in what I said. However, I have to say I jumped the gun in this instance.

it’s surprising that anyone would get this close to prior art and claim innocence.
Sorry syreethunter guys. You definitely have great taste and skills. But creating s
One thing inspired by a great design would be much better than almost directly copying. Love to see what version 2 looks like.

Fortunately for us consumers the Anderson version does exist with fords blessing. Just expensive

 

[Alan Applegate]

With some fear of making this thread turn into a slugfest...

Let's say you want to design mud flaps for a vehicle. I suspect there are folks here with the hardware and software plus the ability to put them all together, and come up with a perfectly adaptable mud flap. Ford, or any other maker, wouldn't, nor couldn't, say anything due to the generality of the device (mud flap). This said, if you then decided to add Ford's blue oval logo, name, even the model of vehicle you designed them for, and bang... You're in violation of copyrights, trademarks, and even committing fraud!

I suspect the owner of the company in question knew he was on shaky legal grounds, but chose to continue his quest in spite of it. Perhaps he was thinking in the terms of a mud flap rather than a fender which is obviously a nearly exact copy. If I were a patent lawyer, I'd sure like t be on Ford's side with this one!

Sidelight:

Does anyone here remember the story about the guy who discovered that wheel barrow handles were never patented? Yet he managed to get a patent due in part to a very-well written Patent Abstract. In the final decree, he won flat out! The monies thus collected were used to promote work site safety, a business he was already in. This scenario is not likely to be the case previously mentioned.

 

[Ace]

People get it all wrong here. If you have a copyright infringement, which this bodykit 100% is, Ford HAS to sue to remain the rights to their copyright. If they don't act on it they legally give everyone a free pass to do and sell everything they want with a GTD and Ford gaining no cent from it

 

[roket]

* I am not a lawyer, do not have a legal background

Copyrights

Patents

Trademarks

License Agreements

These things are in-place to keep us employed and the economy moving. Without them, there'd be no incentive to invest in and produce anything.

Infringements do occur. It's up to the holder of those protections to pursue them. For some items, it might not be worthwhile (aftermarket parts, off-label, overseas, ). For others, it could be (Company-branded item, sold as new. Off-label, but causing environmental or safety issues).

I'd like to think Ford has US and International teams of people pursuing counterfeit items. But we don't hear of them or their accomplishments, because we're not in those loops.

Ford does recognize and support a healthy aftermarket. They know styles will be copied and items adapted to other vehicles.

In this example, Ford is calling BS and ordering them to stop. I agree.

YMMV.

i think in this specific case with the bodykit, it might fall under trade dress infringement. for those who dont know trade dress is "the characteristics of the visual appearance of a product or its packaging (or even the design of a building) that signify the source of the product to consumers" according to Wikipedia, and its an aspect of trademark law

 

[young at heart]

People get it all wrong here. If you have a copyright infringement, which this bodykit 100% is, Ford HAS to sue to remain the rights to their copyright. If they don't act on it they legally give everyone a free pass to do and sell everything they want with a GTD and Ford gaining no cent from it

Finally.

 

[Wiley Marmot]

The Silver Lining in this vexing issue is the defendant has irritated Ford, and not, oh say, The Mob or maybe ISIS! The results of which, likely would be more summary and permanent!

 

[9secondko]

Makes you wonder how the heck Samsung - and then everyone else directly copied the iPhone design after it came out - with no consequence. Even after being sued.
Or how the new Microsoft copilot laptops are a DIRECT COPY of Apple’s MacBook Pro design.

so who knows. Maybe these guys will be able to steal the design. But I think they’ll ruin any possible relationship with ford and likely tick off potential customers with morals.

I’d love a Gtd lookalike. But I stand by principles as well. So just because something is unobtanium doesn’t mean it’s ok to play Robin Hood and steal it to give to the less affluent.

 

[20ducks]

I like ice cream, 'nuf said.

 

[9secondko]

I like ice cream, 'nuf said.

Joe? is that you?

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