Comments on: Ford Goes After Online Communities For Trademark Infringemnt

By: Nathan

Nathan — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 16:22:21 +0000

Scott,

Thanks for taking the time to respond. Please keep us up to date on this. I’m one of the administrators at http://www.F150Forum.com and we are very concerned.

You can email me directly at admin@f150forum.com.

Thanks,
Nathan

By: meteorachick

meteorachick — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 16:21:06 +0000

I don’t think Ford realizes how much their vehicles have become more than just “cars.” To many of us they have become much more of a lifestyle. They should look at us having these sites as a compliment to them, as we keep spending money on THEIR products and for many of us, we continue to buy FORD cars. If they continue to do what they are doing, they are going to take away a lot of people who are loyal Ford owners, and in such a dark economy especially for car makers, if they keep pushing away their customers, its only going to get worse.

By: SMiTTY

SMiTTY — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 15:55:08 +0000

It amazes me how fast things have been moving on this. Great to see all the ‘Ford Enthusiast’ sites coming together.

Hope Scott can talk some sense into someone on their General Council. I see this going bad for Ford if they don’t put the brakes on.

I could certainly see going after someone that is selling Ford products and the likes. But going after what is essentially a car club on the internet? Please.

By: RPS

RPS — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 15:52:52 +0000

Scott, also know there is another Ranger site called Ranger Power Sports (www.rangerpowersports.com) and we’re going on our 11th year in operation. With over 56,000 members we stand behind The Ranger Station. I have not received any emails or letters yet but I wouldn’t be surprised.

Here is the thing to remember. Our members are mostly young males just starting out with their first blue oval product. Over the years, we’ve watched thousands of members move on to bigger AND more expensive Ford products because of what they received from our communities. Is Ford willing to risk losing that lifelong dedication to it’s product?

Jim @ Rangerpowersports.com

By: TRSryan

TRSryan — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 15:35:26 +0000

Hi Scott,

I’m an administrator at The Ranger Station and would love to get in touch with you.

You can email me directly at ryan@therangerstation.com

The Ranger Station is the largest Ford Ranger community on the internet with 11,000+ users at the moment. We’ll be celebrating the 10th anniversary of the site this November. The thread that is linked here hasn’t dropped below 300 views yet – it’s been a fantastic outcry. Thanks to Mustang Evolution for linking to it.

Hope to hear from you soon,
Ryan

By: SpectorV

SpectorV — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 15:20:37 +0000

Another note is that companies that are attacked like this generally can not afford to fight it. They have but one choice… go out of business and pay the fine. This makes the agencies helping them happy as they get paid. This also hurts the community as it puts a negative image on Ford for allowing this and stops fans from being able to obtain items they wish or promote Ford. In my opinion the agencies should be prosecuted for hurting Fords image before local small web sites.

By: SpectorV

SpectorV — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 15:18:14 +0000

Its a thin line, you see if they don’t protect their trademarks they lose them. They must protect their trademarks…. the companies that do this for them are not Ford, but Ford has the right to tell them to stop since they are working with Ford. Some companies are doing bad things and screwing customers over for a quick buck while using Fords trademarks, thus Ford gets some of the blame and it tarnishes their image.

There are many things that they are doing wrong. A company should NOT be able to use Ford trademarks without approval from Ford as the company that is using them does not own them. With that said Ford needs to realize that the online community and other businesses help them out more than they realize.

Ford needs a way (an easier way) for companies and websites to get access to the trademarks legally… without costing a ton of money or being a huge hassle. Until they come up with an easy to use system this sort of thing will not stop. I hope they come up and put into place a plan soon so these third party agencies that are just trying to make a quick buck prosecuting websites and businesses for using Ford’s trademarks illegally (the only premise) cant do it without cause (REAL cause, such as hurting Fords image).

Just as companies illegally using trademarks can hurt Fords image… these agencies that are working with ford to stop this also hurt Fords image in the loyal fan’s eyes just as much. Its fighting fire with fire.

By: Brent Wilson

Brent Wilson — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 14:54:42 +0000

Thanks Scott for following up on this so quickly.

By: scottmonty

scottmonty — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 14:52:22 +0000

I am certainly not pleased about this, as the head of Ford’s digital communications team. There is nothing more important to us than our loyal fans, and the big picture seems to have escaped some people.

Rest assured, I’m trying to get to the bottom of this with our Office of General Counsel. I hope to be able to share more soon.

Scott Monty
Global Digital Communications
Ford Motor Company