The launch of the webpage comes right after Friday’s news that Gibson had filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Dean Guitars, with the historic US company claiming that Dean were infringing on trademarked shapes such as the Explorer and the Flying V.
The counterfeit reporting form, which you can find here, sees Gibson urging the public to report brands which may be ripping on Gibson’s designs, as well as pleading for punters to only purchase new instruments from authorized Gibson dealers, warning players “Protect yourself, there is no reason to buy a new Gibson instrument from any source other than an authorized dealer.”
If you’re confused as to what is actually counted as a registered trademark of Gibson, they’ve also published a comprehensive list of instrument names, body designs and other signifiers that are protected by the brand. It’s unclear whether Gibson want consumers to report guitars from established manufacturers using their singlecut or hollowbody designs as templates for new models or companies who actually use Gibson’s branding on guitars made overseas, but it certainly seems like another odd move from the guitar giants.
Check out the new counterfeit reporting webpage here.
