Fender Threatens Clone Makers

After winning a lawsuit in Germany, Fender has begun sending cease and desist letters to guitar manufacturers who make clones of the Stratocaster. For example, see “This case could set a precedent, impacting countless other builders and musicians”: Fender escalates legal campaign against S-style guitars, issues first cease and desist to US builder in Guitar World.

Philip McKnight, a voice I trust, has posted two YouTube videos (with unfortunate click-bait titles) about what Fender is doing: Fender Declares War with Guitar Industry and Fender lied, it’s all about PRS.

Many other YouTubers have also posted, including Rick “Old Man Yells at Cloud” Beato, who didn’t really have much to contribute in his post, The Fender Disaster.

I’m writing about this because I’m curious about where this will go. My opinions are:

• Fender has a legal right to defend its intellectual property from copycats
• Guitar manufacturers should design their own guitars
• Fender has alienated a vocal subset of its customers, who are making the usual threats about never buying a Fender again
• Most of Fender’s customers won’t care
• Fender may not win any lawsuits in the United States since the Stratocaster body type has been copied for so many years
• The PRS Silver Sky is different enough from the Fender Stratocaster that Fender won’t win a lawsuit against PRS

I would like to see guitar companies be more innovative. It is easier for guitar makers to copy iconic guitars such as the Les Paul, Stratocaster, or Telecaster than to design their own models. I believe that the motivation to copy is because that’s where the money is: Customers don’t want innovation, and innovative guitars don’t sell well.

I don’t own a Fender guitar, but I have considered buying a Fender American Professional II Stratocaster someday. Fender’s actions won’t change whether I decide to buy or not, because I don’t really care.