''Something'' tells me he's in a very good contact with Cali, Europe and Japan already
Yeah,
This was just courtesy note but it can turn into an "up yours" argument real quick if you want it to. I figured there are already too many of those on this forum.
Back in the day (meaning about 25 years ago), there was no internet and policing such things was very difficult as anyone who had intellectual property had to "luck" into catching the perpetrator/infringer. Case in point; I had many friends who made up Texas state flags but with the "OU" block lettering in place of the star. Seemed fitting since OU owned the Longhorns every year in the mid-eighties.
Now, there is heavy policiing of such materials (even in the drum market) as, with a bad economy, companies are looking for more revenue and the protection of their intellectual property is an easy way to do it. There are entities which sole purpose for exsisting is to police such practices. You can find one of them running up and I-35 from Oklahoma City to Austin every second week in October. The contraband materials are confiscated and the perpetrators are out their investment, open for a lawsuit and some are taken to jail.
Furthermore, give the duality of the nature of the internet and websites like this, it is all too easy to find infringers and take legal action. Another case in point, I found out that a former band was still using my photographed likeness. They were very easy for my attorney to find as they posted their performance schedule all over the internet and he let them know that they should "refrain from using my photographed likeness without monetary compensation in order to promote thier band for monetary gain", showing up right at one of their gigs! I heard the band leader had a bad night singing that night; he must have been scared sh!tless!
The bottom line on all of this is that even if you know and are in contact with people in "Cali, Japan and Europe already",
ALWAYS get their permission to use their name in writting because, after all, money changes everything especially in the music business! The written permission pretty much heads off most litigation as it domcuments "right to use". If something bearing their name and IP catches fire and explodes on the market, you can bet they will want their share of the loot and,if the company changes leadership, you can find yourself in a negative relationship real quick. this hapens to signed bands all of the time, leaving them holding the bag, unable to perform songs they wrote because the record label now owns them and won't release the album because the new president/CEO has "decided to go a different direction".
Like I said at the top of this post, I merely making a courtesy post and I would like to see less of the "
I think I am a very important person and I am smarter than anyone else" or "
You don't understand who I think I am" post typical of such arguments. This wasn't made to start an argument; it was merely informative because SoCalMike has a great idea; he just needs to protect his idea so the
HE beneifits from it, even if he has to pay license to Yamaha/Pearl, et al.
Mike
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