I assume the question/comment is about who paid Ford licensing fees for permission to reproduce bodies and parts. I don’t particularly care about it.
Why would we care? Are you worried Fird will come after you if you build an "unlicensed" car ? Now, its true that Ford has gone after some reproducers. Mostly the M**tang places because there is enough money due to popularity to make it worth while.
I'm a bit confused, but that happens a lot....I don't think that only Drake and United Pacific are the only entities who have paid up for licensing fees to Ford. What about Wescott, Gibbon, and all of the other reproduction body companies? I'm certain that Carpenter has paid them as well as most if not all of the aftermarket parts manufacturers. What about that Canadian company back in the '80's (?) that was doing some pretty close approximations of '34 Ford bodies? I'm sure that the legal dept. at Ford has a room full of lawyers keeping tabs on this. Much of the cost of model car kits is a result of having to pay licensing fees to the OMs.
From what I have been told Bob Drake no longer is making the bodies for 1940 Ford coupes, Dennis Carpenter has taken over where Drake left off and they are licensed by Ford.HRP
Yeah, Huh? You can get into mind numbing crazy trying to keep up with a multinational business and their legal arm. Basically, they will try to keep aftermarket manufacturers within some defined requirements when selling things so that they can continue to assert trademark/copyright ownership, put a stamp of approval that it's a decent part and get some cash. This applies to anything from a Hot Wheel to a fender to a full body. I blame some of this on why they don't just keep using a good, proven part and instead keep re-engineering stupid little small parts. This has increased over time and depending on exactness, as can be seen by not a single fiberglass T Bucket body being licensed even though Speedway is a big company, the same as Factory Five doing the Mk.4 (Cobra) and the "33" when neither are licensed. I'm sure there have been court battles on the first, but not the second, which is a 'tribute' and doesn't share any dimensions. https://www.factoryfive.com/roadster/mk4/
Not sure if the licensing would be required if reproduced with slight production differences, using factory blueprints perhaps another matter.
I also heard carpenters is done with the 40 bodies. Unfortunately Carpenters and Drake waited too late to start making those bodies. If they had done that 20 years ago I think it would have been a lot more successful but I can buy a 40 coupe now for less than half of what the same car would have cost 20 years ago. also I used to work at Carpenters, I know back then they pair deeeep into 6 figures a year for licensing. the story went that in the late 80’s a lawyer from a ford showed up with a law suit. the claim was they’d never thought about licensing and that ford gave them a very quick turn around to pay up or they’d be out of business.
Kinda odd if you think about it, someone wanting a ‘32 or a ‘40 body, wouldn’t be taking a dime from Fords bottom line. Not like the person wanting a ‘40, would buy a 2025 Ford instead. I understand the name infringement, but a “pay up” surprises me, a fitting compromise would be to give Ford a percentage of each one sold. After all, who would think an aftermarket’40 Ford body was made by Ford today?
Are you asking if a '32 body made by UP should be considered a "real" Ford since it was made under license?
Your sentence structure and layout is confusing. You have got to know this. If not, here is your announcement. If a person dies, does their property and (copy) rights continue to the next of kin? One Co. is changed into another, with the same assets and history. That is not in question. If some big bank (for example) buys a small bank, they still own the assets and name of the small one, even if the branch gets a new sign. Nestle owns a huge amount of brands and still sells them under the old names. It's the company choice. I just looked for something on this and FORD is splitting into 2 in a reorg. this year. https://fordauthority.com/2022/03/f...sked-to-specialize-as-part-of-reorganization/ If you want to dive into this exact question, there has got to be a legal filing on it in public record, but is REALLY outside HAMB stuff. It is also completely different than a Licensed by question. Whoever owns the IP can license.
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