Classic Mustangs List Archive

This read-only message was archived from a public mail list.
Mail From: Randy Siwik (email redacted)


Snip,,,,,,,,,,

> Before I make a decision, I like to have all of the information that is
> available in front of me. Factory Five Racing, in their assembly manual for
> their 427 S/C Cobra replica has a disclaimer stating words to the effect
> that "this is a performance vehicle that is capable of supercar levels of
> performance - if you don't think you can build it then don't try."

> Your pal,
> Meat.
>

Speaking of Factory Five Racing, Carroll Shelby and Ford is suing
FFR. small clip of story,

BOSTON, July17 /PRNewswire/ --
With backing from Shelby American Inc., its equity
partner, Venture Nevada, and together with Ford Motor Company, automotive
manufacturing and racing legend Carroll Shelby has launched an aggressive
lawsuit in
Massachusetts Federal Court against Wareham-based Factory Five Racing, Inc.,
asserting trademark infringement, dilution and unfair competition claims. A
parallel
lawsuit has also been filed by Ford in the same court.

``We have filed this suit to make certain that credit is given where credit is
due,''
stated Shelby. ``The knock-off car manufacturers don't deserve any credit for
what
my team and Ford were able to accomplish in the 60's. I don't have much time
left,
but while I'm here I'll do everything I can to protect the Cobra and Shelby
names,
and my companies will carry on long after I've gone.''

According to Shelby, this lawsuit is the first of several which will target the
largest
knock-off manufacturers. ``Enough is enough,'' he stated.

On a related note, some Ford dealers are actively selling Cobra 'kit' cars.
complete w/ warranty. fremontford.com/cobra.htm
So I guess it's OK to buy a Cobra kit as long as you buy it through
a Ford dealer.

You guys w/ fake GT350's better watch out. ;-)

Regards,
Randy

This read-only message was archived from a public mail list.
Mail From: Bryan Fuller (email redacted)

Reminds me of awhile back when Ford was taking a bunch of Mustang
sites to court... ford-diesel.com (a HUGE diesel enthusiast site)
recently got a letter from Ford saying they were investigating if they
were infringing on their trademarks or something, and Ford is going
after something like another 100 domain names..

(Let me state now that i KNOW there are a few legitimate cases, and
things like ford-sucks.com that they don't want out there, so they
should have legal rights to go after anyone using their name they
want. At the same time, they should be able to discern what is good
and what is bad for them instead of using the "kill everything that
moves" tactic. Anyway, i'll continue.)

This is just sick. Ford has the absolute WORST PR department on the
planet earth. Just when you think you've seen the worst, you find out
they are even more stupid than you could imagine. The people they go
after are the people that made their company (and continue to make
it), the enthusiasts. We buy their new cars. We rebuild their old
cars. We buy their t-shirts and mugs and watches and model cars. We
start websites to PROMOTE their products and support the people that
buy them, and what do we get?

They need to do some serious rethinking about the way they do business
or they are going to lose more customer support than they ever knew
they had.

EOR (End of Rant.) =]


Monday, July 24, 2000, 11:43:12 AM, you wrote:
RS> Speaking of Factory Five Racing, Carroll Shelby and Ford is suing
RS> FFR. small clip of story,
RS> BOSTON, July17 /PRNewswire/ --
RS> With backing from Shelby American Inc., its equity
RS> partner, Venture Nevada, and together with Ford Motor Company, automotive
RS> manufacturing and racing legend Carroll Shelby has launched an aggressive
RS> lawsuit in
...

---
Bryan Fuller
Web Applications Developer
wabba.net - themustangshop.com
'68 "GT-351" Mustang - '70 Boss 302 - '70 Mach 1
'99 Cobra Convertible - '99 F350 SD Dually Diesel Crew