I've always wanted a rickenbacker shaped bass, but I dont really want to buy one(im poor right now after my last project)

Speaking totally hypothetically, if I was to build a bass, that looked like a rickenbacker, maple body, rosewood board, same body/headstock shape, etc......

Could I get in trouble with rickenbacker?

......Because Ive read somewhere that the rick shape is copyrighted? does that only mean other companies cant copy, make and sell, or no basses that look like rickenbackers are allowed to exist?

I've always wanted a rickenbacker shaped bass, but I dont really want to buy one(im poor right now after my last project)

Speaking totally hypothetically, if I was to build a bass, that looked like a rickenbacker, maple body, rosewood board, same body/headstock shape, etc......

Could I get in trouble with rickenbacker?

......Because Ive read somewhere that the rick shape is copyrighted? does that only mean other companies cant copy, make and sell, or no basses that look like rickenbackers are allowed to exist?

there's probably a reason why there's no OLP rick.

Are you going to sell the bass?

If you're not going to go into business selling them/it then I think you could probably dodge the Rickenbacker police.

That is my abjectly un-legal opinion.

if it's a bass for you that you won't be selling, you can pretty much do whatever you want with fear of a legal team coming to visit you ... not because it's necessarily legal to do this, but because there's no monitary incentive.

if you plan to sell this bass made to look like a copyrighted work ... well, that's another story all together

all the best,

R

I hope/wish there is a patent/copyright attorney around here who can weigh in on this issue. I mean how many P and J copies are out there being sold? Are they all paying royalties to Fender? I don't think so.

Then you've got the Rogue "Beattle Bass." And, countless others.

I know a few guys hwo have built Ric copies and they ain't in jail yet!

I don't think it's an issue even for a commercial venture. Obviously you wouldn't want to call it a Ric, or even make the reference. You might not want to use the headstock "slash" either, but I still think it's a non-issue.

Any other thoughts?

I think Fender has been copied so many times, they just think "Screw it."

Ric, however, seems to be a bit more aggressive. Just ask Ibanez or Univox. But like the others said, if this is a one-time Ric-like copy, then you're fine. Just don't start making and selling them. And let's say you do get a call from Rickenbacker... just say "No, I'm pretty sure it's a Univox copy."

Ric, however, seems to be a bit more aggressive. Just ask Ibanez or Univox.

Ibanez tried to copy Rickenbacker????? :eyebrow:

They're 4001 copies were quite successful.... you know, until Rickenbacker sued them.

I hope/wish there is a patent/copyright attorney around here who can weigh in on this issue. I mean how many P and J copies are out there being sold? Are they all paying royalties to Fender? I don't think so.


Fender has an enforcible trademark/copyright on their headstock only, and not their bodies. If you clone a Fender headstock and start selling it, you'll need to pay a licensing fee ... or you'll soon be hearing from the FMIC attorney

there has been quite a bit of discussion on this here already ... definitely worth your search time

all the best,

R

We do have an attorney around here somewhere...

The guys are right. There are several details that might affect the outcome...

- You make the bass only for personal use.
- You do not make multiple copies for "personal use" :)
- Some alterations are made to the design to differentiate it from a real Ricky.
- No attempt is made to represent the instruments origin as authentic
- There is no intent to defraud. That would be you defrauding a customer by selling the replica bass while leading the customer to believe or relying on the customer to believe it's a real Rickenbacher.

Follow all of these and you'll be fine

Rickenbacker has registered trademarks on the body shape, the headstock shape, and the appearance of both toaster and horseshoe pickups.

Rickenbacker has registered trademarks on the body shape, the headstock shape, and the appearance of both toaster and horseshoe pickups.

which on the body shape, if you take a

contoured body pbass, and cut away the contoured parts to make it a slab.

amazing. it's the rick shape...

http://i11.ebayimg.com/01/i/000/80/b6/61cf_1.JPG