Did the Porsche lawyer fairy make a visit? Options

[naro914]

Numbers cannot be trademarked, FYI. At least, not in the US.

--DD

Don't bet on that. A guy here in Charlotte has a shop called 'The 911 Shop' and Porsche made him change it to 'The 9-11 Shop' many years ago.

Believe it or not, Porsche as a company DOES care alot about the older cars. Why would they create an entire restoration department just for older air cooled cars if they didn't? It's the dealers that don't....they are just a car dealer that happens to sell Porsches, versus selling Hondas, Toyotas, etc. They are privately owned and at best, reflect the personality of the ownership...either big corporate, race focused (like Brumos, Napleton, Paul Miller, etc), some classic focused, etc.

Many of you probably missed it, but in 2011, the PCA Raffle was for a 1972 (I think) car that was totally restored by the Porsche Restoration shop in Germany. It was their idea, not PCA's, to do this.

Back to the idea that Porsche needs to defend their trademarks. BMW, VW, Ferrari, Ford, Chevy, etc. etc. etc all do it too. So does the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, NCAA etc, etc.. Some more vigorously than others, but they all need to stay consistent with it so as not to look like they are playing favorites. Some go a little overboard (Porsche and BMW are a bit ridiculous IMO). Heck, 'Super Bowl' is trademarked, so as a business you can't have a 'Super Bowl' party or special where you would be making money without paying a license fee (that's why you hear "for the big game' on the radio for bars having Super Bowl parties)

also...if you PAID to have the rights to license their logos and such, then others used it free and unauthorized, wouldn't you be pissed?

[biosurfer1]

Sorry, but even Porsche does not care about older cars, let alone the dealer. They care about $$$ and it just so happens that older cars are commanding big $$ these days which is why Porsche all of a sudden cares. If they really did care about ALL older cars, there would not be so many NLA products.

If the the vintage 911 and 356 industry took a dive tomorrow, Porsche would shut down their restoration dept by the following day.

[naro914]

Um, last I checked Porsche was a for-profit business, not a charity organization.

I always find it amusing that people begrudge a company for making money...

[ThePaintedMan]

There is a difference between making money and being greedy. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/poke.gif)

[TheCabinetmaker]

So if my custom dining room furniture cost 3 times the store bought stuff does, and I get every penny I can from my work, then I'm greedy?

Well yes I am. Its why i'm in business for my self. If I wasn't greedy, I would be working for someone else for 25 bucks an hour.

[mepstein]

Last year Ferrari mAde $100 million just from Licening their name. Greedy or smart business?

[ThePaintedMan]

Not being a business owner, or ever having any interest in it, I can see this is a losing battle and something I should stay the hell out of.

But it is frustrating seeing so many of you, who have owned and been faithful to these cars for years, bewildered by the current enthusiasm from Porsche and owners of other models, who for so long tried to forget them. Its sad to know that so many cars were neglected and eventually abandoned because Porsche had no interest in keeping them on the road. The fact that so many remain and that a market exists at all for them now is largely due to the many forward-thinking individuals and vendors (some of them here in this community) who kept them going. So for Porsche to begin taking an interest in older cars like the 914 and seeking to make money off of them after forgetting about them for so long... well, greedy is the only world that I can think of. There might be another, but it escapes me for now. Opportunistic maybe?

Certainly no disrespect to you Curt. Sorry if you took it so.

[biosurfer1]

I find it amusing when suckers think companies actually "care" about their customers and provide restoration services for any other reason than sucking every possible dollar out of them. Live in fairytale land if you want, but Porsche cares only about money, which is contrary to what people have said.

I didn't (and don't) begrudge any company for making money, but don't tell me its because they care about anything else besides padding their bottom line.

[TheCabinetmaker]

No disrespect taken George. I was just using myself as an example.

[balljoint]

Is it inconceivable that there is a measure of planned disregard for older models? Not to say that every car company would or even could think this way but; if Porsche allows the lion's share of an older model to rust away, then they create scarcity. Once the level of good cars drops below the level of demand then the price goes up. There are all kinds of ways to use a small group of enthusiasts and a rare vehicle to make money.

Feeding parts to a bunch of ugly rusty POSs and keeping them on the road would damage the marque.

[76-914]

Having been on the "short end of the stick" re: patent violations I feel somewhat knowledgeable on the subject. Yes, letters and numbers can and are protected in some instances. I used the telescopic/balloon lettering that DC Comics aka Warner Communications used to spell Superman. Ooops. I secured a patents atty to handle the case. In our first meeting he told me (and this is the part you need to get) "Oh you have a case alright; you just don't have enough money. We're not talking David & Goliath here. We're talking about a Giant and a fucking ant. They will schedule court hearings in NYC only to cancel after you have arrived and are out a $1000 in plane fares. They'll bleed you dry before it ever goes to court. Would you like to proceed?" I thanked him for his candor, wrote him a check then called their atty's to say that they were right and I was wrong. Guess what? They were great to work with. They understood that it was a start up company and agreed to give me 6 months to change the company stationary and re-letter the trucks. Remember the Golden Rule. It's universal. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

[worn]

also...if you PAID to have the rights to license their logos and such, then others used it free and unauthorized, wouldn't you be pissed?

Yeah, trademarks such as "it's the one" or Whinnie the Pooh now owned by a major corporation even though the copyrights are long gone. Or next maybe just plain A? They pay their money and run over the little guys cause they gots the money. So NO i would not be pissed if I had been so unreasonable to think that I could ever ever buy the rights to a word or a number. It wouldn't even cross my mind. Nor would it cross my mind to think because I had money I could run someone off their own hard work and effort.

[naro914]

Amazing...so if Porsche did NOTHING with restoration or parts supply, you'd all be upset saying they have forgotten all about their roots, but since they <gasp> want to make money at that aspect of their business, they're evil.

Porsche's are a luxury, not a necessity. They can and will charge whatever the market will bear. If 356's go out of favor, of course they'll stop supporting/restoring them. If the Cayenne suddenly stopped selling, they would move onto something new. That's what businesses do. Business 101.

Again, funny how everyone can be upset and call Porsche greedy because they have the audacity to make money off you while you're typing on your computer/phone/tablet using software from either Microsoft, Apple, Google, etc. that make 70+% margins....

I guess I fall into the Greedy group since I expect to make money on my work, my ideas and things I sell.

[carr914]

I think those that are complaining about Porsche abandoning their roots are wrong. I don't know of another car company that stocks or makes parts for cars that are 20+ Years old. Try finding a part for a 10-12 Year VW - you won't find it!. Car companies make cars for today...period. Cars today are disposible, and that is why there are also very few "Real" Mechanics - Most Techs at Dealerships plug a Car into the Computer, the Computer spits out Codes and tells the Tech which Part to replace. Techs are Parts Changers, most couldn't fix their Toaster at home

Also the so-called Greed keeps Porsche from falling into the hands of the next rich empire. The list of car companies (Aston-Martin, Jaguar, Volvo, Land-Rover, Rolls-Royce, etc) that fell into others hands because they couldn't sell enough cars should make carguys cry

[naro914]

Umm...TC...Porsche is owned by VW now... who is striving to be the worlds largest car company. And if we're honest, greed is what got them bought out....

But I agree with everything else you said. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[bulitt]

If I only owned the copyrights to "Happy Birthday"...

[scotty b]

I think those that are complaining about Porsche abandoning their roots are wrong. I don't know of another car company that stocks or makes parts for cars that are 20+ Years old.

Mercedes. They have always suported the older cars by keeping the parts for them either in stock or having them made on original tooling. NO other company can compare the them on that front. A few years ago I was working on a 280 SL that needed a hood. One call to Mercedes and a brand spanking new one was delivered about 3 weeks later.

[carr914]

Umm...TC...Porsche is owned by VW now... who is striving to be the worlds largest car company. And if we're honest, greed is what got them bought out....

But I agree with everything else you said. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Well, you can say that Porsche is owned by VW or if you looked at their Financial Dealings the last 5-7 Years you could say that Porsche owns VW. In the end the Lawyers wrote it how it sounded best

['73-914kid]

Apperantly the font is trademarked.. anyone else notice the 914world emblem up top....?

[Mike Bellis]

Apperantly the font is trademarked.. anyone else notice the 914world emblem up top....?

Yep... Sad... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)