Does anybody think this is wrong?

jamirokid · Post by **jamirokid** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 3:19 pm

http://cgi.ebay.com/MOOG-MINI-MOOG-ANAL ... 0090776970
Moog t-shirts on EBAY- Isn't this copyright infringment or something? This seems like it would take away from Moog's own merch.

Josh

electrical_engineer_gEEk · Post by **electrical_engineer_gEEk** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 3:28 pm

yah, that's right on the edge for me.....on one hand they aren't using the Moog logo or name (on the shirt print) nor are they stealing a copyrighted picture...on the other hand they clearly didn't create/draw the picture themselves, they photographed an existing object.....
I'm not a laywer so i never really understood the ins and outs.
It seems to me like if they aren't directly copying a T-shirt that moog already makes & sells then is A-Ok in my mind.

speaking of cool moog Tshirts i saw this hot chick at an art show once that was wearing what looked to be an original vintage moog liberation shirt (cracked dye and all) that said something like "get liberated" or similar....it was so cool looking...but i haven't seen another like it since so i'm sort of skeptical that it might have been one of those "new vintage" shirts which you see so many of these days

Lengai · Post by **Lengai** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 3:59 pm

There's also teh uber-stupid "I (heart) my Moog" button:

http://cgi.ebay.com/I-LOVE-MY-MOOG-Butt ... dZViewItem

martin · Post by **martin** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 4:08 pm

This item is brand new and has never been used. Each button is professionally made and inspected.

i'd like to meet one of those inspector dudes.

'hey buddy, what's your trade?'

'me? oh, i work in the moog button inspection biz. i inspect buttons that say i love my moog'

'no way, so what's your actual job there?'

'i check if it says moog, not moon or goon or spoon.'

'far out'

'you should meet the needlepoker. pokes the needles into his butt all day do make sure they poke good. nice fellow. has a skin condition though.'

thewaag · Post by **thewaag** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 7:35 pm

My guess is that it is legal.

As long as the Moog logo is not used, and the term "Minimoog" is not used (although that name may not be trademarked anymore, since the original company is long gone) I don't think that there is a problem. The picture may be copyrighted, and if they don't have permission to use that picture, they could be in trouble--maybe they took the picture themselves.

Would the image of a Minimoog be illegal to use? I doubt it since the original company who made that synth is long gone.

Now if they used a Voyager picture--they would be in trouble.

Kind of a cool shirt. I might get one after I hear more opinions of the situation on this thread.

ARP · Post by **ARP** » Sat Mar 10, 2007 2:00 am

Being that Moog Music isn't in the T-shirt business i'll give them a pass on the rather lame T-shirts they offer. If I saw a cool "moog" t-shirt on ebay I wouldn't hesitate to buy it, it really isn't hurting Moog, and it isn't a counterfiet of anything moog has available.

Kevin Lightner · Post by **Kevin Lightner** » Sun Mar 11, 2007 2:16 pm

What I think is really wrong is this auction (Ebay 300090127973)

This is a Martin Mini. A Donimoog.
An Ohio copy.

But the seller never mentions this.

museslave · Post by **museslave** » Sun Mar 11, 2007 3:04 pm

Kevin Lightner wrote:What I think is really wrong is this auction (Ebay 300090127973)

This is a Martin Mini. A Donimoog.
An Ohio copy.

But the seller never mentions this.

Ooh, that is horrifying. Who makes this? How old are they?
I could see that the font was different in a couple of places, the mod wheels are different, and other differences.

I would be very angry if I had bought one of those.

ARP · Post by **ARP** » Sun Mar 11, 2007 3:15 pm

This is a Martin Mini. A Donimoog.
An Ohio copy

Good eye! does anyone know how many Donimoogs were actually built?
And what ever happened to Don after he lost the legal rights to the name "Moog Music' to Bob Moog? I remeber thinking about sending him a check for a "new'" Minimoog but things unraveled quickly and he was exposed namely by two guys named Mark and Kevin, who were relentless in the pursuit of the truth concerning the infamous Moog Gate fiasco.

MC · Post by MC » Mon Mar 12, 2007 8:43 am

That unit was likely made in 1999 or 2000, one of a handful ever made. I inspected one at Kevin's shop when he had one in for repair. They are not a very good copy.

Don Martin cashed a lot of advances for minimoog orders starting in 1996 but was incapable of re-designing an instrument that used obsolete unobtainable parts. He cloned the ua726 oscillator board, but ua726s are virtually unobtainable and he neglected to hire an engineer with component experience to design a replacement part! He got a lot of angry customers demanding to know where their minimoog was and he stopped answering the phones. Then people started calling Bob at (then) Big Briar and that's when Bob filed suit against Martin. Ultimately Don filed for bankruptcy.

I don't know what became of Don Martin. Frankly no one cares, as he has destroyed his reputation in the music industry. When the legal whammy came down he made himself completely unavailable and he dodged the process servers. Turns out that the "Donimoog" Moog Music was the same address of a MailBox Etc store. He did not list a personal address and the process server was reduced to sitting in front of the storefront waiting in vain to deliver papers. The bankruptcy court basically liquidated the whole operation and Bob won back his trademarks from that session.

Don held the ARP trademarks too, but I don't know what became of those.

Marzzz · Post by **Marzzz** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 10:33 am

How are you able to tell it is a DoniMoog? At first glance it looks like a very well preserved mid-production run (around serial# 6500?) Mini....I am no expert like KL and MC, I could have been fooled.

Sweep · Post by **Sweep** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 11:12 am

I could easily have been fooled as well, from looking at the photos. I've never heard of these before.

I wonder if the seller is listing this in good faith, believing it to be the genuine article?

Has anyone contacted the seller, or ebay?

Kevin Lightner · Post by **Kevin Lightner** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 11:20 am

How are you able to tell it is a DoniMoog?

Switches are brighter blue, wheels have rounded edges, rear cover is shiny.

But the closer you look, the more differences you'd see.
Panel lettering isn't as cleanly done, for example.

And while this unit might well have some real Moog boards out of a real model D, I think a buyer would want to know it wasn't an original Mini.

MC · Post by MC » Mon Mar 12, 2007 11:43 am

The IEC AC connector on the rear panel is the dead giveaway. Real Minimoogs never had those.

Kevin Lightner · Post by **Kevin Lightner** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 7:35 pm

Oh well, that Mini clone sold via Buy it Now.

I wonder if either the seller or the buyer knows it's not an original Moog?