[Smith]

Originally Posted by TRMach1

I totally understand Ford wanting and needing to protect it's trademarks and copyrights. What I don't understand is their unreasonable licensing fees charged to vendors to use those materials!

I toyed around with the idea several years back of making t-shirts, and when I contacted Ford about the licensing terms, they wanted like $300 per trademarked item shown in the design!

That means if the t-shirt design contained the Mustang script, Mach 1 logo, Ford blue oval, and running horse emblem, it would be $300 dollars for EACH of them, or $1200 dollars for a single t-shirt design! I was thinking more along the lines of $50 per design, regardless of how many Ford trademarks were in it, they didn't like that idea much. I was like screw that! I'd have to sell cases of t-shirts just to recoup the licensing costs!

The most notorious case that I'm aware of, was when Ford attempted to block INDIVIDUALS from using photos of their OWN cars for use in calendars, posters, etc., where the Ford trademarks were fully visible! I believe it was the Black Mustang Club that fought them, and won, on the basis that when you purchased the car, you also purchased all the Ford trademarks attached to that vehicle, and you have the reasonable right to be able to take pictures of the vehicle you purchased, regardless of what trademarks of Ford Motor Company may show up in the photographs.

Almost makes you want to go Chevy!!