Hello e-Richie,
No whining here, just asking questions...
Has CyclArt ever been sued in the past by OEM manufacturers for trademark infringement? Being sued does not imply innocence or guilt if the court case is dropped and never reaches trial.
I seem to recall CyclArt have been sued for trademark infringement by OEMs in the past... could Jim C address this and what the result was? So far he has been silent on this issue and has not responded to any of my CR questions about this.
Regards, Steve Neago
Cincinnati, OH
> i'm here biting my tounge while reading the current thread on
> the decal availibilty issue and also the related words like 'legal'
> and 'ethical'. here are my 2 cents:
> the restoration market is new and too small to even matter, dollars
> and sense wise. in most cases, these resto's (and the decals sought)
> are being done on frames from a couple of decades ago. despite
> my reading this here on the list, my experience from wthin the trade
> suggests that, through the years, makers did NOT in fact keep a
> supply of period decals for use in the future. some did. most didn't.
> this demand for decals for older bicycles is a relatively new phenomenon.
> companys like cyclart were reproducing original art into decals back
> in the late 70s. i'm not here to defend their practice, but they
> reproduced
> the decals as part of a menu offering complete services that did not
> exist in north america. they weren't in the decal business, they were in
> the painting business. having resources, or creating resources, for the
> decals necessary to complete a proper restoration is part of their draw.
> it continues to be the case.
> fast forward...now many people within the trade have access to a whole
> slew of restoration decals. my masi project frames took 4 years to do and
> a year was devoted to waiting for the original art to be reproduced right
> off the frames before they were stripped. now those masi iterations exist
> for others who may not want to invest the time and energy that i did.
> would i sell the decals? not to an owner whose masi had another type
> of decal. why? because i am protective of the project and want to
> ensure that it doesn't get sullied by having those decals on masis of
> other eras. i believe, in essence, that cyclart and others within the
> industry, have a similar bent when it comes to their own stash(es)
> of restoration decals. the decals are available with the paint job.
> period. end-of-story. infinity.
> in other words, read: turn down the volume and find something
> else to whine about.
> e-RICHIE
> lou deeter's pal