Recent

Bad Cat Introduces the Ocelot — Small Amp. Big Attitude. Total Control.

August 27, 2025

2025 MMR Dealers’ Choice Awards Nominations – Ballot Closes 9/5!

August 22, 2025
Paul Reed Smith and Governor Wes Moore: photo credit Stephanie Lemus/PRS Guitars

Paul Reed Smith Day Declared by Maryland Governor Wes Moore

August 22, 2025

Timeless Elegance Meets Modern Performance: Introducing The ADJ Vintage Bar

August 22, 2025

Slingerland Launches Radio King and Studio King Outfits, Plus Spare Parts

August 22, 2025

Seattle Cascades Now a Fully Powered KHS America Drum & Bugle Corps

August 22, 2025
Reid Peterson (Audio-Technica U.S. Executive Director of Sales, Professional Markets); Julie Van Berg (Mavric Incorporated sales associate); Kazuo Matsushita (Audio-Technica Corporation CEO/President); Pete Petty (Mavric Incorporated principal); Manabu Aoki (Audio-Technica U.S. CEO/President); Jeff Beck (Audio-Technica U.S. Regional Sales Manager, System Solutions); and David Barrett, Jerry Silhavy and John Herr (Mavric Incorporated sales associates). Photo credit: Corey Walthall, Clyne Media

Audio-Technica honors Mavric, Inc. with its President’s Award

August 22, 2025

Solid State Logic Appoints Mark Skipper to National Sales Manager, Eastern U.S., for Broadcast & Live Audio Production Systems

August 22, 2025
Wednesday, August 27, 2025
  • Contact
MMR Magazine
  • Subscribe Now!
    • Subscribe Now!
  • Advertise
  • Email Press Releases!
  • Current Issue
    • Past Issues
  • Newsroom
    • News
    • MMR Global
    • Supplier Scene
    • Upfront
    • People
  • Awards
    • Dealers’ Choice Awards Ballot 2024
    • Don Johnson Award Winners Archive
  • Directory
  • Get Support!
No Result
View All Result
  • Subscribe Now!
    • Subscribe Now!
  • Advertise
  • Email Press Releases!
  • Current Issue
    • Past Issues
  • Newsroom
    • News
    • MMR Global
    • Supplier Scene
    • Upfront
    • People
  • Awards
    • Dealers’ Choice Awards Ballot 2024
    • Don Johnson Award Winners Archive
  • Directory
  • Get Support!
No Result
View All Result
MMR Magazine
No Result
View All Result

Victory for JHS in Gibson counterfeiting case

Ronnie Dungan by Ronnie Dungan
October 21, 2016
in MMR Global
0
941
SHARES
2.4k
VIEWS
Share on Facebook
ADVERTISEMENT

 

UK distributor JHS, has won a legal victory over US guitar giant Gibson, in a case of alleged counterfeiting against its Vintage guitar brand. 

ADVERTISEMENT

Gibson Brands sued JHS alleging that it owned trademarks in certain body and headstock shapes and that Skewes had violated those trademarks in using them in its Vintage range of guitars.

According to Gibson, Skewes used counterfeit versions of the shapes at issue. Skewes argued that it should be granted judgment as a matter of law on the counterfeiting count, since all its guitars prominently display the Vintage brand name and all advertising and packaging states that the guitars came from John Hornby Skewes. 

The Court granted summary judgment in favour of Skewes on the counterfeiting claim. In so doing, the Court eliminated Gibson’s ability to collect $8 Million in statutory damages.

It concluded that: ”no reasonable jury could find that [John Hornby Skewes]’s guitars were counterfeits of Gibson’s guitars.”  

The Court further explained that “counterfeiting is the ‘hard core’ or ‘first degree’ of trademark infringement that seeks to trick the consumer into believing he or she is getting the genuine article, rather than a ‘colourable imitation.'”  Counterfeiting also gives the aggrieved party “wider range of statutory penalties and remedies.”

“[the] guitars in question cannot be deemed identical or substantially indistinguishable from each other. Aside from certain visual distinctions between the guitars, as both [John Hornby Skewes] and Gibson acknowledge, guitars are typically identified by the branding on the headstock. Here, [John Hornby Skewes]’s guitars are marked with the Vintage branding on the front and the [John Hornby Skewes] trademark on the back.”

A number of remaining guitar shape trademark claims, set for trial in February 2017, limit damages to profits on the sale of, as the Court noted, about “300 such guitars.”  

The Court declined to grant summary judgment to either party on Gibson’s claims of trademark infringement of the guitar body and headstock shapes. Skewes has asserted counterclaims of cancellation of the trademark registrations for the body and headstock shape, citing to rampant third-party usage throughout the guitar industry for fifty years.

Despite being contacted, JHS offered no further comment on the case.

Tags: Gibson BrandsJHSJohn Hornby Skewesvintage guitars
Previous Post

Another signing for growing ADG

Next Post

ADJ Group Opens New Facility Near Mexico City

Related Posts

MMR Global

2025 MMR Dealers’ Choice Awards Nominations – Ballot Closes 9/5!

August 22, 2025
MMR Global

Fulcrum Acoustic Names Audio Acoustics Exclusive Distributor for the Netherlands

August 15, 2025
MMR Global

Nostalgia in a new light – Cameo at the Love the 90s Festival in Valencia

August 15, 2025
MMR Global

Adam Hall Group Appoints Loud Technologies Asia as Exclusive LD Systems Distributor in Singapore

August 15, 2025
Steven Greenall (CEO, Denis Wick Products) / Stephen Wick (Retiring Board Chair, Denis Wick Products) / Francesco Passera (CEO, Music Center SRL) / Matteo Valagussa (CFO, Music Center SRL) at Denis Wick Products factory in Poole, Dorset, UK (5th August 2025)
MMR Global

Music Center SRL Acquires Denis Wick Products

August 8, 2025
MMR Global

Get Ready to Rock The 2026 NAMM Show: NAMM Celebrates 125 Years with Five-Days of Music, Innovation and Industry Legacy

August 4, 2025
Next Post

ADJ Group Opens New Facility Near Mexico City

Please login to join discussion
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest

Jessica Tropea Joins Neutrik Americas as Customer Solutions Engineer

August 15, 2025

Furch Guitars Introduces Pioneer Series: All-Solid-Wood, Travel-Friendly Short-Scale Guitars

July 21, 2025

Music Sales swoops for Carisch

April 8, 2015

NAMM’s Top 100 Dealer Awards Rebranded as The NAMM Retail Awards

July 21, 2025

Bad Cat Introduces the Ocelot — Small Amp. Big Attitude. Total Control.

Paul Reed Smith and Governor Wes Moore: photo credit Stephanie Lemus/PRS Guitars

Paul Reed Smith Day Declared by Maryland Governor Wes Moore

Timeless Elegance Meets Modern Performance: Introducing The ADJ Vintage Bar

Slingerland Launches Radio King and Studio King Outfits, Plus Spare Parts

Bad Cat Introduces the Ocelot — Small Amp. Big Attitude. Total Control.

August 27, 2025

2025 MMR Dealers’ Choice Awards Nominations – Ballot Closes 9/5!

August 22, 2025
Paul Reed Smith and Governor Wes Moore: photo credit Stephanie Lemus/PRS Guitars

Paul Reed Smith Day Declared by Maryland Governor Wes Moore

August 22, 2025

Timeless Elegance Meets Modern Performance: Introducing The ADJ Vintage Bar

August 22, 2025
ADVERTISEMENT
The Latest News and Gear in Your Inbox - Sign Up Today!
  • August 2025

    Articles | Digital Issue
  • July 2025

    Articles | Digital Issue
  • June 2025

    Articles | Digital Issue
  • May 2025

    Articles | Digital Issue
  • April 2025

    Articles | Digital Issue
© 2005 - 2025 artistpro, LLC
7012 City Center Way, Suite 207
Fairview, Tennessee 37062
(800) 682-8114

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Subscribe Now!
    • Subscribe Now!
  • Advertise
  • Email Press Releases!
  • Current Issue
    • Past Issues
  • Newsroom
    • News
    • MMR Global
    • Supplier Scene
    • Upfront
    • People
  • Awards
    • Dealers’ Choice Awards Ballot 2024
    • Don Johnson Award Winners Archive
  • Directory
  • Get Support!

© 2005 – 2024 artistpro, LLC 7012 City Center Way, Suite 207 Fairview, Tennessee 37062 (800) 682-8114

This is Modal Title

Click Me
Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?