My first electric guitar was a horrible Fender Stratocaster copy.
My second electric guitar was a beautiful secondhand MIJ (Made in Japan) Fender Telecaster, that had a Gibson PAF added in the middle. I still lose sleep over the fact that it was stolen from me about forty years ago. To replace that Telecaster, I bought same colour American Standard Telecaster, that is still my number one guitar.
That Fender is my one trusty friend that has loaned me money when in need, putting itself a prisoner inside a pawnshop. Time and time again. I always bought its freedom back.
My second Fender was a Coronado. A good one for a specific need to grunt out rhythm guitar from rockabilly to AC-DC Malcolm sounds. Then back to Stratocaster. I bought myself a MIM (Made in Mexico) Fender Stratocaster. I think it is the most beautiful example of industrial design since Bauhaus days. Maybe Bauhaus excluded also. It is so good a design, that it has been the industry standard of a perfect multi-use guitar. The Swiss army knife of guitars. Many luthiers have started their craft by dismantling their Strat.
Is it art? No, it's still a tool for making art.
Copyright laws in different countries or regions differ.
At best Fender has 20 - to 35 years of law cases and luthier war ahead of them. Guitar players and luthiers are a tight bunch of similar minded people. This is a marketing disaster. Without pointing out the quality issues, there are possibilities of turning this into a positive business case.
Fender should provide licences to allow S-style guitars to be made, when there is no case in mixing up the brand. And when the quality improves the Stratocaster legacy. The headstock name is there for that reason. The license should include mutual benefiting of information and component support.
There is a difficult struggle, when components come from far-east and that component maker provides similar components for a copy guitar with false brand name. That is to be taken down. Similar copy, with identical features, similar headstock branding. That is the real problem, not the S-style guitars with a unique brand.
As a teeny-tiny builder, I don't have a problem with my guitars being mixed up as Fenders. But there is a problem, if a lawsuit tries to harass my design about where the output jack is located on my design. There is a problem, if a lawsuit is trying to harass my design about where I place my pickguard on my design. Also art and industrial design should not be mixed up.
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