raving lunacy - oxymorons for the 21st century

In the world of copyright infringement and trademark litigation, there are two industries that have stood out. Toy makers and Car companies. Despite all of the acne fueled yammering, the Music industry is a distant third.

The latest assault on stuff you bought and paid for is the tale of the Black Mustang Club, whose members own Black Mustangs. Recently they put together a calendar of Members cars, to raise funds for the club. From the club site comes this:

“I got some more info from the folks at cafepress and according to them, a law firm representing Ford contacted them saying that our calendar pics (and our club’s event logos - anything with one of our cars in it) infringes on Ford’s trademarks which include the use of images of THEIR vehicles. Also, Ford claims that all the images, logos and designs OUR graphics team made for the BMC events using Danni are theirs as well. Funny, I thought Danni’s title had my name on it … and I thought you guys owned your cars … and, well … I’m not even going to get into how wrong and unfair I feel this whole thing is as I’d be typing for hours, but I wholeheartedly echo everything you guys have been saying all afternoon. I’m not letting this go un-addressed and I’ll keep you guys posted as I get to work on this.”

“I’m sorry, but at this point we will not be producing the 2008 BMC Calendar, featuring our 2007 Members of the Month, solely due to Ford Motor Company’s claim that THEY own all rights to the photos YOU take of YOUR car. I hope to resolve this soon, and be able to provide the calendar and other BMC merchandise that you guys want and deserve! This thread will remain open for you to comment however you wish, and I’ll update it as needed.”
Hattip: Boing Boing

That CafePress knuckled under is a sad commentary.
At some point folks need to stand up and let these people understand what the concept of ownership means. You know, I PAID FOR IT, IT IS MINE, AND I REALLY CAN DO WHAT I WANT WITH IT!
But as long as you have an iPod stuck in your ass, and a iPhone glued to your head, making driving anything inconvenient, let alone dangerous, when Ford stops and writes you a ticket for not washing your car every day, don’t bitch to me.

Here is an idea for you Ford Owners.
Take your Ford to the dealer and have them perform a Copyright and Trademark Compliance Check.
You know, have them make sure that you are not doing anything Illegal, like seat covers, tinted windows, fuzzy dice, or custom paint and wheels. Better check with the state DMV your car is in to make sure that Ford is okay with your Vanity Plate.

Call your insurance Agent and make sure your policy covers you against lawsuits from Ford over Copyright and Trademark Infringement. You could buy a different car also. Don’t buy a Honda or a Porsche, as those folks have been suing fan sites for years.