Fender gain legal protection of the Stratocaster body design in the EU

[jens]

Woohoo! Yes! About time! High hopes these jerks end up in bankruptcy over all this as they deserve!

The Thomann open letter is pure class.

[jens]

By the way: I just read that the Fender (FMC) pigs purchased the G&L IP right after G&L went down - that was near the end of last year - certainly no coincidence at all.

The sudden and aggressive corporate shutdown of G&L Musical Instruments in late 2025 sent shockwaves through the guitar industry, exposing how calculated Fender’s legal and corporate strategies have truly become.The dramatic dismantling of G&L and Fender's quiet acquisition of its intellectual property unfolded through specific events and tactical maneuvers:

The Sudden Collapse of G&L (September 2025)

Without any prior warning, the historic G&L factory located on Fender Avenue in Fullerton, California, was abruptly shut down in mid-September 2025

Mass Layoffs: Every worker on the factory floor was laid off overnight without severance.

The Destruction of Legacy: Corporate liquidators moved into the facility in November 2025. Historic machinery, neck-shaping jigs, templates, and raw wood blanks were discarded into massive waste dumpsters behind the building. Heartbreaking photos of Leo Fender’s old filing cabinets and experimental prototype parts sitting in the trash quickly went viral across online guitar forums.

The Clearance Sale: The remaining inventory of USA-built G&L guitars was sold off in bulk to a liquidation wholesaler (MIRC in Tennessee) to be cleared out at bottom-dollar prices. By October 2025, G&L’s parent company, BBE Sound, officially dissolved.

Fender's Hidden Strategy (October 2025)

While the guitar community was mourning the death of G&L, official public records from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) revealed who was pulling the strings from the shadows:

The IP Grab: In early October 2025, the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) quietly bought out a specific holding company created during G&L's bankruptcy. Through this transaction, Fender acquired the exclusive trademark rights to Leo Fender's name, signature, and likeness.

Rewriting the Narrative: Immediately following the deal, Fender completely overhauled its official website, placing a massive, newly corporate-approved emphasis on the "Legacy of Leo Fender."

Discarding the Instruments: Fender had absolutely zero interest in keeping G&L guitars alive or employing its master builders. They bought the company strictly to strip it of its intellectual property and historical ties to Leo Fender, letting the actual physical brand die a permanent death.

The Ruthless Calculative Timing

The timing of G&L’s destruction was perfectly orchestrated to pave the way for Fender’s massive European copyright blitz that launched a few months later. Fender needed G&L entirely erased from the board for two vital reasons:

Eliminating the Ultimate Consumer Alternative: Fender's management knew that their heavy-handed European cease-and-desist campaign against "S-style" and "T-style" guitar shapes would trigger a massive consumer backlash. If G&L were still operating, the global guitar community would have immediately urged players to boycott Fender and buy G&L models (like the Legacy or ASAT) instead—as they were literally designed by Leo Fender himself as his ultimate, evolved designs. Fender bought G&L to kill off its biggest emotional and historical competitor.

Neutralizing Legal Threats: G&L possessed Leo Fender’s private laboratory archives, complete with historical blueprints and design documentation. If a retail giant like Thomann had partnered with G&L in court, those archives could have legally proven that the Stratocaster body shape was designed purely as a functional, ergonomic tool rather than an artistic sculpture. By swallowing G&L’s IP, Fender neutralized that evidence entirely.


Fender eliminated the truest piece of its founder’s living heritage to ensure absolute corporate control over his name and shapes. However, they underestimated the financial power of a modern retail powerhouse like Thomann, which is currently holding the line against Fender's legal ambitions in European courts.

[jens]

These vile managers truly deserve to die lonely and in the most brutal of poverties.