Yeah , We're all in rush mode right now. Lots of little details, huh? That Kopper Kart is AMAZING! I can't wait! I'm sure the Big Olds will look great! I was surprised when I saw it in person on the salt that it was as straight as it is! That car has some miles on it AND is beautiful - cant wait to see the new interior.
sounds to me like barris wont let you put his name on the truck??...am i right by any chance?..maybe you cant say,,if thats true, thats just not right...i know vic personally and george has corresponded with vic and spoken personally to vic and his wife louise at car shows on many occasions over the years,,,damn, he's even sent him christmas cards (and let me tell you vic was THRILLED to receive that stuff from one of his kustom idols) in fact marks 57 olds won the george barris pick at gettysburg a few years ago,,i was there and trust me it was one of the highlights of marks life,,he was ecstatic,,,,i know for sure they discussed the kopper kart clone that day because i heard them,,,funny, no mention of any problems that day...... well, now thats vics dream is about to become reality, it seems all of a sudden everythings not a-ok with george anymore,,dont know if maybe george thought vic, mark, and ron couldnt pull this off or what, but now that its about to happen there seems to be some roadblocks (im confident vic can overcome them,,but wtf,,the guy is under so much stress and has poured so much of himself into this project, that i just think its completly wrong to have to deal with this b.s. so late in the game...i consider vic, mark, and ron (and everyone else involved in the project) friends of mine,,and while i usually dont really get too involved in things that dont directly concern me, i felt i had to speak up a little on this topic... its a CLONE,,,everyone knows its a clone,,its not like they are trying to pass it off as the real deal,,many barris cars have been cloned (matranga merc, ernst chevy, hirohata merc to name just 3, and some have been cloned MULTIPLE times), and i know those guys werent hassled.. mark, if it has nothing to do with what im thinking then disregard the whole post,,,,,but im making an educated guess that im most likely making the correct assumption of the problem
I thought the same thing and just didn't want to mention it. The only difference between the Kopper Kart and the rest, (Matranga, Hirohata, etc.) is that the name "Barris" wasn't on them aside from a crest. Plus, the truck was actually registered to George at one time, unlike the others, it was truly his. I've never had the chance to speak with George and most likely never will, but from what Mark tells me, he seems like hes not a people person anymore. He has his fame and rather than giving back, he'd rather keep it all to himself. Whereas one would be thrilled that some guys from New Jersey loved their truck so much they wanted to build an exact replica, he feels either threatened or as no one deserves to have his name on it but himself. After all, I'm pretty sure it is a registered trademark. Either way, everyone will know what the truck is, was, and will still be.
yeah bill. i hear what you're saying, but why wait until now to pull this bs?? his timing sucks....yeah,,everyone will know what it is,,but vics a stickler for detail, and i know if he cant build as close as possible to the original, hes really gonna be bummed after all this work...
i know your bummed about the name thing, but after it is built and George sees it for himself he might get jealous and make you put his name on it!!!! that is a beautiful truck and i cant wait to see it.
chopolds, now that your about done with the "kart" i've got an idea for your next project. how about dave bugarin's 51 merc. it would be a piece of cake compared to the kopper kart. i don't think anyones cloned it yet. ha ha.
Thanks sweetie, means alot coming from you. Earl Schieb does the most amazing body and paint work I have ever seen. I can't wait to introduce him to you. In fact, I do believe you, Steve, Mike and his posse, JollyRoger and Gator, will be housemates that weekend.
Whether the name "Barris" is a TM or not, I don't think it would be able to stop Vic and Mark from using it on the Kopper Kart clone. Yes, it is true that the original was registered to Barris himself, but George also sold the truck with the name on the side of it. Due to that fact alone, I would imagine that it would prevent him from bringing an suit. He relinquished his ownership of the truck and by selling it he likely relinquished his sole ownership of it's name and likeness. Also, Barris sells his crests for anyone to purchase with the freedom to stick on anything they desire. There is no real difference between the name on the barris crest and Barris script across the doors on the Kopper Kart. I'm not a hundred percent positive, but I will do some research into it to find out more. Barris is just an old douche. Kustom legend or not, he's a greedy fuck trying to hold onto the spotlight. Instead of embracing the builders who are keeping his name relevant, he's causing them headaches. What a selfish asshole
he would still own the copyright to his name even though he did sell the truck. about the crest, the key word there is "sells". i agree. this is real shitty of barris. maybe chopolds could buy the right to put it on his truck. if this is the problem anyway. at this point we are speculating of course.
I can't wait to see this in person! That's one of my all-time favorite trucks, you guys are doing an incredible job.
In this fine day and age, you also have to consider litigation problems with someones name on the side of a vehicle. If there was an accident, the lawyers would be all over it. Just a point to ponder.-MIKE
Life is too short, you have worked to hard ! Put the Barris stuff on it. History will look kindly on you.
Oh ya, I'm not defending him at all. I'm just offering up some more insight. I'm sure something will get worked out, and I'd be willing to bet that the truck ends up with the name on there. Leave it to the lawyer... I knew you'd make me proud.
I'd leave the name off the doors on principal alone now. IMHO, I think the truck would look better without the name actually which is very distracting.
Mark, It's Lea from Still Runnin Magazine. How can I help? Let me know if there is anything we can do, we are behind you guys all the way!! lea@stillrunnin.com
Mark, It's Lea from Still Runnin Magazine. How can I help? Let me know if there is anything we can do, we are behind you guys all the way!! lea@stillrunnin.com
Barris name not on the truck will not hurt it one bit. The guys like myself that have seen it for years in magazines will automatically put the name on the truck... I'm a huge fan of the "OLD" Barris Kustoms and you've worked to hard to let anyone still the joy and the success of your build. Forget George, he is only hurting his own name. He has worked so hard to self promote himself and if this is the way he wants people to remember him then its his choice..... Kongrats on the build and because of you guys I finally get the opportunity to see one of my favorite Kustoms. Happy Trails, Mick
I can't wait to see it at Detroit! I find it surprising that George wouldn't let you put his name on it. HE takes every opportunity to put his name on everyone else's work. Ha Ha Ha I think you need to put YOUR name on it!
Ya! Mark Foose Kustom Shop on the door. Perfect! I'll be down this wknd to add some sarcasm and general debauchery to the shop once more.
Ummmm, nobody asked the opinion of The Assman! on this one, but I will give it anyway in true Assman! fashion. Put "Barris" on the door. (period) It tops off the true clone and you guys WANTED it on there all along. Since when do we listen to what someone else demands on our own stuff? The letter was a bunch of jumbled up confused words and not anything with any legal weight. At the biggest show on your list for this truck why not give him a nice big "F-U" and show the truck the way you want it? What can he do? Continue to say "hey, stop that"? You are not making any money off of it and what can he win from you in court? If anything at all it PROMOTES his name by being such a well-recieved, perfect clone. Someone said lets not bash him in this thread, but how can you resist when you know the whole story? 23 days and 610 miles to go. Assman!
Is it me or does the original builder hate that truck? he sold it, then only briefly mentions it, and only has one or two of the same photos that he ever publishes in any of his books, or website.
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