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As I recall it was about 1984-85 that my partner and I
received a letter from a law firm representing Chrysler Corporation stating that
they knew we were reproducing emblems and other parts for Chrysler-predecessor
car companies. We were selling reproductions for Hudson and Terraplane
autos. This was an incredible, saber-rattling, "we know who you are and
we're coming to GET YOU" letter which demanded in no uncertain terms that we
comply immediately or face the wrath of the legal department of Chrysler and we
were going to go to jail. The Repro-Police were
coming!!! I'm not kidding - the letter was worded so forcefully that
my face went pale and my knees weak. I called my partner (we worked out of
our homes) and said I'm coming over; we've got a helluva problem!
Amongst the offensive language was the additional demand that we pay some
exorbitant licensing fee PER PART, keep very extensive sales records (due
quarterly to Chrysler) and pay them 10% of our gross sales. I can't begin
to tell you how offended we were by this, especially as an extremely tiny
company working in an extremely tiny niche of the hobby where it was as
much or more about keeping our own and a few other old cars
presentable and useable as it was making a profit. Before
their DEADLINE for compliance I wrote the law firm a SCATHING reply as to
how we felt we were promoting their corporate history, nothing to do with
current trademark infringement, etc. etc. They did not reply.
About nine months went by and we got a somewhat milder letter requiring the
same thing. To this day, our company, and its successor ownership, has
done nothing about complying to their legal rant. I believe they
decided to go after the big name companies where the real money was being
made and realized that even reviewing our paperwork was going to cost them
more to pay their filing clerks than they were going to receive in checks from
us.
There were some articles in Old Cars newspaper in that era
about corporate licensing of parts and also of scale model cars. If you
recall this is the era when model car kits doubled and tripled in price
over 2-3 years.
I do not know what the licensing requirements are today or
at what level of gross sales they start coming down on companies. But I
can tell you I will go to my grave remembering that Detroit behemoth Chrysler
Corporation was poised and ready to unleash their total wrath upon K-Gap Hudson
operating out of my spare bedroom and my buddy's garage.
Is that a knock on the door? Is that the click of a
service revolver?
Wayne
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