Thomann Sues Fender on Behalf of "Everyone"

[Rackman]

I love my FMIC guitars too - my stage axes currently are two FMIC-made Jackson Custom Shop/ KE2 Kellys. One in particular sounds awesome.

But these guys are fuckups. Bad stuff is coming for FMIC.

 

[The~Kid]

I love my FMIC guitars too - my stage axes currently are two FMIC-made Jackson Custom Shop/ KE2 Kellys. One in particular sounds awesome.

But these guys are fuckups. Bad stuff is coming for FMIC.

Yeah I mean......


Before it was one thing......



But this Yamaha thing is something else..... I have a hard time seeing Fender come out on top in a settlement or any manner after this and well..... Yeah this is one of those things where they really have pushed their luck and it's a hard sell even for me.



This blunder may have lost them the whole thing now.

 

[Speeddemon]

This is too funny.

 

[The~Kid]

Maybe Fender still has the upper hand as this is in Europe and only applies to Europe but shit..... If they are going after Yamaha that means they are pretty much going against everyone and going for the big tamale

Can they do it...... In Europe and Yamaha and others could technically still sell an S-Type in the States but maybe it would be more feasible to just make entirely new designs at that point for the States regardless.


Honestly it just seems to me that at this point they are just pushing their luck and trying to grab beyond their grasp and reach with Yamaha.... I don't know, Im no "expert" but hey maybe the guys who know at Fender..... Know something we don't. Figure this would apply to Ibanez, Shecter, Kramer etc etc in Europe but would affect the States now too.....


Again still love my Fenders and Charvels and still plan on getting more in the future but yeah.

 

[Rackman]

The thing about Yamaha is it's a big company - larger than Fender by 3-4x. They are not going to be easily intimidated or unable to afford good legal representation. Fender is on very shaky ground legally (having already lost in the US) and this is very likely a bridge too far for them. Certainly not the same game as picking on Chinese counterfeit manufacturers.

I suspect Fender's lawyers are playing the oldest game in the profession, telling their client what the client wants to hear rather than what a realistic analysis suggests will actually happen. And of course knowing full well there is no possible scenario here in which the lawyers do not get paid.

 

[The~Kid]

The thing about Yamaha is it's a big company - larger than Fender by 3-4x. They are not going to be easily intimidated or unable to afford good legal representation. Fender is on very shaky ground legally (having already lost in the US) and this is very likely a bridge too far for them. Certainly not the same game as picking on Chinese counterfeit manufacturers.

I suspect Fender's lawyers are playing the oldest game in the profession, telling their client what the client wants to hear rather than what a realistic analysis suggests will actually happen. And of course knowing full well there is no possible scenario here in which the lawyers do not get paid.

Its not just the money although the money helps.


See until now Fender has gone up against dudes that have made 1:1 copies of the body pretty much or the headstock.... But with Yamaha as said they are trying to grip beyond their grasp. Before it wasn't a problem but a Yamaha Pacifica isn't a 1:1 copy in any way......

Now this is built to fail from the start..... Up until Yamaha Fender was okay IMO but now they are just trying to milk the cow after there is nothing left to milk..... There ain't no milk left in them tits anymore and ImO it's a hard argument to make for them.


It's mainly this that Fender will go up against and now their actions contradict even what their very own CEO said they would do and that is only apply this to 1:1 copies which the Yamaha Pacifica ain't..... Because even the CEO understood this would be stupid. Not sure who is responsible for this at Fender but it doesn't seem like it would be the CEO...... Would be surprised if the CEO is leading this.... Whatever Fender is doing now.


Also if they go up against Yamaha now they go up against Ibanez, Shecter, Kramer and even Gibson as Kramer is owned by Gibson...... Now they go up against the entire music industry...... And well Im no "expert" but IMO that doesn't seem all that smart or the best course of action.

 

[Luca79]

I suspect Fender's lawyers are playing the oldest game in the profession, telling their client what the client wants to hear rather than what a realistic analysis suggests will actually happen. And of course knowing full well there is no possible scenario here in which the lawyers do not get paid.

Lawyers always win.

 

[311boogieman]

Its not just the money although the money helps.


See until now Fender has gone up against dudes that have made 1:1 copies of the body pretty much or the headstock.... But with Yamaha as said they are trying to grip beyond their grasp. Before it wasn't a problem but a Yamaha Pacifica isn't a 1:1 copy in any way......

Now this is built to fail from the start..... Up until Yamaha Fender was okay IMO but now they are just trying to milk the cow after there is nothing left to milk..... There ain't no milk left in them tits anymore and ImO it's a hard argument to make for them.


It's mainly this that Fender will go up against and now their actions contradict even what their very own CEO said they would do and that is only apply this to 1:1 copies which the Yamaha Pacifica ain't..... Because even the CEO understood this would be stupid. Not sure who is responsible for this at Fender but it doesn't seem like it would be the CEO...... Would be surprised if the CEO is leading this.... Whatever Fender is doing now.


Also if they go up against Yamaha now they go up against Ibanez, Shecter, Kramer and even Gibson as Kramer is owned by Gibson...... Now they go up against the entire music industry...... And well Im no "expert" but IMO that doesn't seem all that smart or the best course of action.

That reads like gobbley goop. I've never seen anyone on a forum type so much and actually say very little

Also your sentence structure sucks.

I've brought this up before and then pretty much left you alone for several months, but I'm hoping you will listen and learn. It's like one big run-on sentence. Please reframe from replying if you can help yourself. You'll just call me a fancy bagel eating wokemerican whatever that is supposed to mean. Try OK?

Back on topic - @Rackman is correct. Lawyers always collect.

 

[JamesTiberiusKirk]

That reads like gobbley goop. I've never seen anyone on a forum type so much and actually say very little

Also your sentence structure sucks.

I've brought this up before and then pretty much left you alone for several months, but I'm hoping you will listen and learn. It's like one big run-on sentence. Please reframe from replying if you can help yourself. You'll just call me a fancy bagel eating wokemerican whatever that is supposed to mean. Try OK?

Back on topic - @Rackman is correct. Lawyers always collect.

He's got issues. Like a library full of them.

 

[rsm]

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) issued a major judgment regarding functional design and copyright protection for everyday objects.

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) issued a landmark copyright ruling regarding everyday functional objects and designer furniture (including dining tables) as works of applied art on December 4, 2025 (joined cases Mio v. Asplund and USM v. Konektra).

Note the date. This is the new ruling FMIC is using to copyright the body design of the Strat as a work of applied art..

European court ruled that works of applied art (such as designer furniture and utilitarian objects) are eligible for copyright protection under the same standard as any other artistic work, meaning member states cannot impose higher or stricter requirements—like proving separate "artistic value"—beyond demonstrating that the object is original.

This is the now copyrighted art that won the lawsuit in Europe:

Swedish Palais Royal table

Konektra

 

[rsm]

Since the EU is already forcing third-world invasion on member countries, forcing native Europeans to pay for the invasion, and promoting/enabling abuse of native Europeans by the invaders, anything is possible in the EU no matter how crazy it may be.

 

[The~Kid]

That reads like gobbley goop. I've never seen anyone on a forum type so much and actually say very little

Also your sentence structure sucks.

I've brought this up before and then pretty much left you alone for several months, but I'm hoping you will listen and learn. It's like one big run-on sentence. Please reframe from replying if you can help yourself. You'll just call me a fancy bagel eating wokemerican whatever that is supposed to mean. Try OK?

Back on topic - @Rackman is correct. Lawyers always collect.

I forgot this was English 101 Professor

 

[The~Kid]

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) issued a major judgment regarding functional design and copyright protection for everyday objects.

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) issued a landmark copyright ruling regarding everyday functional objects and designer furniture (including dining tables) as works of applied art on December 4, 2025 (joined cases Mio v. Asplund and USM v. Konektra).

Note the date. This is the new ruling FMIC is using to copyright the body design of the Strat as a work of applied art..

European court ruled that works of applied art (such as designer furniture and utilitarian objects) are eligible for copyright protection under the same standard as any other artistic work, meaning member states cannot impose higher or stricter requirements—like proving separate "artistic value"—beyond demonstrating that the object is original.

This is the now copyrighted art that won the lawsuit in Europe:

Swedish Palais Royal table

Konektra

So shit with this Fender isn't just looking at a settlement they are going for the big tamale

 

[The~Kid]

Okay...... Y'all know you're in the middle of a lawsuit no?!?!

 

[QVonesh]

Fender has made their bed. I hope this hurts them

 

[Classic]

As said before, there’s no way Fender were after a settlement. It was never about that and wouldn’t benefit any party.

Fender are reaching. There will be many manufacturers and retailers who will go out of business if Fender win. I agree principles are principles however there are precedents and wider considerations at play including past performance. Involving Yamaha seems mad and does suggest Ibanez, Musicman and others could be impacted. It’s a bold move that could disenfranchise a whole raft of the music business that might otherwise have been ambivalent until now.

 

[rsm]

As said before, there’s no way Fender were after a settlement. It was never about that and wouldn’t benefit any party.

Fender are reaching. There will be many manufacturers and retailers who will go out of business if Fender win. I agree principles are principles however there are precedents and wider considerations at play including past performance. Involving Yamaha seems mad and does suggest Ibanez, Musicman and others could be impacted. It’s a bold move that could disenfranchise a whole raft of the music business that might otherwise have been ambivalent until now.

let the copying pirates be held accountable and suffer for their misdeeds and theft;

they've had free reign to copy with impunity for decades, without any attempt to do what is right, fair and just to the legal owners of the Strat (and tele, and offset, and...) designs.

let their free ride be over, and payback with compound inteterest.


is there no end to their shame, avarice, greed and thievery?


if it was up to me; at least. I'd let FMIC go scorched earth with a vengeance against their copying competitors.


I have no faith in EU courts; much less faith than I do in US courts which isn't much.

Either way, I still have my real Fender gear.

 

[Classic]

I have 3 Charvel’s, a Schecter and a Luke II. I’m not arguing for or against, just glad im not the one to make the call.

 

[The~Kid]

let the copying pirates be held accountable and suffer for their misdeeds and theft;

they've had free reign to copy with impunity for decades, without any attempt to do what is right, fair and just to the legal owners of the Strat (and tele, and offset, and...) designs.

let their free ride be over, and payback with compound inteterest.


is there no end to their shame, avarice, greed and thievery?


if it was up to me; at least. I'd let FMIC go scorched earth with a vengeance against their copying competitors.


I have no faith in EU courts; much less faith than I do in US courts which isn't much.

Either way, I still have my real Fender gear.

I mean I dont agree with Fender but I'ma still use and buy Fenders and Charvels..... Like I agree to them on to an extent but legally I just see them having a hard time doing this with Yamaha now involved.

Glad I got a Kramer on the side and may get another too before all this shit settles in but yeah.....


Fender dudes going to Fender regardless...... Something about the "Fullerton Sound" it's hard to explain but it's a thing.