New Moto Guzzi Door Mats Available Now
Did you know that the Piaggio Group is currently forcing forum and website owners and professional stores to remove the word Guzzi from their names?This is currently happening in Germany. Latest victim HMB Guzzi.
Harley did the same thing once their popularity skyrocketed so they could make money off the name. That's when the Harley bath towels hit the dealer shelves.
Do you have more details on this? Was the issue that HMB Guzzi had not previously stated that they are not associated with Moto Guzzi?
The footer text is new, it was not there in November. They likely added it in response to what has been requested by Piaggio lawyers.https://web.archive.org/web/20221128222651/https://hmb-guzzi.de/I see it now on guzzi-forum.de , and the mention on GuzziTech forums.
We can always resort to the Alabama pronunciation: Goooozie. THAT will please the purists.
Did you know that the Piaggio Group is currently forcing forum and website owners and professional stores to remove the word Guzzi from their names?This is currently happening in Germany. Latest victim HMB Guzzi.This is done by lawyers hired by the Piaggio Group.
I’m pretty sure this is why MG Cycle was MG Cycle from the first, instead of Moto Guzzi Cycle. Right from the beginning, they had a disclaimer of any association with Guzzi on their web page.Regarding the name Interceptor, we shouldn’t forget that the 850 T was called that name when it was first introduced. Very quickly the “Interceptor” was dropped from the name. I wouldn’t be surprised if Honda was responsible way back then.
IIRC, the "MG" in MG Cycle is from the first letter of Rick's last name and the first letter of Gordon's first name. https://wildguzzi.com/forum/Smileys/default/bow.gifThat turned out rather creative it would seem. FWIW, trademark type lawyers told me once upon a long time ago, that the parent company can beef about Moto Guzzi or Guzzi alone being used in a name, website, etc. Moto by itself however, they can't. Moto is not really trademarkable, as it only means "Motorcycle" in Italian. Therefore, Moto Guzzi, Moto Ducati, Moto Laverda, Moto Parilla etc. Possibly the folks in Germany got similar info, therefore that change. Also, was advised that disclaimers of association are worthless in such matters. At the end of the day, think "Super Bowl" vs "The Big Game". Licensing $$$$$.
Yeah, they do that on purpose..let’s the mother ship own and control where when and how Moto Guzzi created content is displayed and used.Here’s an example. Instead of great tshirts for all models, it’s a T-shirt of a grossly inappropriate naked figure w “Moto Guzzi “ emblazoned across the top…Who is to say whether it’s an appropriate use except the original creator?What would you being thinking if someone stole and copied the exact specifications of the V100, built them and sold them? It’s exactly the same case for logos artworks and photographs as engine design…If you create it, you own the right to copy. That “copy right” is only transferable by written agreement.In this day and age, tho, those rules are generally getting trampled. Every once in awhile the lawyers come out to reign it inI agree Guzzi friendly shops should be allowed to use such things, but it needs to be specifically outlined by written agreements
Spent 18 days in Italy. THOUSANDS of Ferrari, Ducati, Maserati T shirts all over the country, from Rome to a podunk T shirt shop on the Amalfi Coast. NOT ONE Guzzi shirt. Why? Guzzi licensing. To their own demise IMNSHO
I recall that MG Cycle had to revise their name after receiving a letter from Moto Guzzi lawyers when they first started the business.
The German language forum that I am involved in got hit too. We got a lawyer involved, and made the point that the forum is not commercial, and that using a trade name for non-commercial purposes is not illegal in Germany. €2.000 later, things have gone quiet, and we are assuming we are back off the radar. Mike at HMB is, however, commercial, but has no official connection to Moto Guzzi. He chose to take the route of least resistance, and change his domain name.There is another place, run by Martin Hageman, that is specialised in the "small block" Guzzis. Good bloke, good service, and well stocked with parts. His business name is "Guzzi e piu" (Guzzi and more). I noticed today that he seems to be changing his web adresses to "gpiu.de", where it has always been "Guzziepiu.de". Maybe he has been targetted too.There is a lawyers practice that has been contracted by Piaggio to search out instances of "Guzzi" on the interweb, contact them, and issue "cease and desist" demands. They first contacted the service provider for the above-mentioned forum, and then the chief admin of the forum whose name is on the bottom line of the forum. I gather Mike at HMB was contacted by the same bunch of lawyers.
