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FIXA from Italy

Hi Guys,
does anybody know about a FIXA called ligature from Italy? I got one for Bb-clarinet, but I can't figure out the current manufacturer and current status of availability.
I've got mine from ebay-seller, but where and when he got it, he can't remember.
The mentioned ligature is of flexible type and comparable to Vandoren classic/BG or GF. The fastening is done with two nickel screws, screwed into bars, producing tension in some parallel wires (not woven like the Vandoren and not solid like the BG-leather- or GF-plastic-stripe models, only parallel stripes of synthetic wire). The ligature is well done and very handy. It's nice, but no one sells it in the webshops ;-/

Here's the adress I found on the German translated sheet inside the case: company ITACA located in Abbiategrasso in Italy. Looks like an actual model, but there's no possibility to find it in the web ;-( Any idea?

kindly
Roman



PS: Pics I can do tomorrow in the evening earliest.
 
Well, Ikea does a good job of protecting all of its wacky product names, but it is quite possible that whoever originally sold the ligature had produced it prior to the Ikea action, and that a limited commercial appeal item like a clarinet ligature (with a common law trademark, rather than a registered one) may not have been picked up on the search prior to applying for the Ikea trademark.

Interference in trademarks is a lot more common than it is in patents, simply because there are so many different "markets" that don't cross over into each other. For example, a medical item (like a needle model) has a very limited marketing "universe", and it's quite likely that you would never see any of their trademarks as a lay person, since you don't "move in those circles". A trademark search is supposed to "cover the field", but specialty fields may get missed.
 
;-))) Ok, then I'll ask IKEA at Rostock for some more ligatures... Yes yes, it looks like an IKEA ready design **ggg**

kindly
Roman
 
And here I thought Ben was just joking. Learn something new every day.

Actually, I was... :oops:

I am somewhat opposed to enforcing trademark things across non-overlapping markets...who on earth would confuse a clarinet with a vacuum cleaner?

The Germans have one of the worst laws in that direction, where under the pretext of "consumer protection" every halfbaked lawyer (who doesn't even need to represent an affected client) can sue a market participant for "trademark infringement" - a license to print money, if you ask me.
(Their most notorious ambassador recently withdrew from business, however)
 
I know that the overlapping issue is stupid, but corporations (particularly large corporations like Coca Cola or Ikea) have found that without aggressive enforcement, they end up with no enforcement. Trademarks and trade dress (appearance of products) are worth a lot to the holders, so you can hardly blame them. Words like "aspirin" were once trademarks, but passed into the public domain due to lack of enforcement.

Remember, the onus to enforce is on the patent/copyright/trademark holder, unlike in criminal law where the agency is responsible for enforcement. If you let it slide too long, the "Fixa" brand would become open to anyone, just like "aspirin" is now.
 
I know that the overlapping issue is stupid, but corporations (particularly large corporations like Coca Cola or Ikea) have found that without aggressive enforcement, they end up with no enforcement. Trademarks and trade dress (appearance of products) are worth a lot to the holders, so you can hardly blame them. Words like "aspirin" were once trademarks, but passed into the public domain due to lack of enforcement.

Remember, the onus to enforce is on the patent/copyright/trademark holder, unlike in criminal law where the agency is responsible for enforcement. If you let it slide too long, the "Fixa" brand would become open to anyone, just like "aspirin" is now.
Well, I have a hard time pronouncing "acetylsalicylic acid".
 
That's why the Bayer AG (or whatever the proper German name is for them) would have been happy for you to ask for "Bayer brand" acet-whatever acid...

Others that have gone the same route include such common terms as "refrigerator". Conversely, Boeing had the great good sense to trademark "Flying Fortress", which was a chance remark by a reporter made upon seeing the (relatively) well defended B-17 plane when it was first rolled out.

This became an issue when Boeing was seeking some additional cash flow as the orders from the Vietnam era started winding down. At that point, some clever Hans in their legal department decided to start going after the plastic model manufacturers for using the term "Flying Fortress" (and "Superfortress", for that matter, when referring to the later B-29) on their packaging.

The net result was that the packaging started to read "Revell's B-17 bomber plastic model" (with portions of the text in very small print), since the B-17 term was a US government bit of work and thus not subject to trademark protection.
 
Yeah, but the Boeing example just shows it's less about protection than about milking others...
 
@tictactux: ...and one of these halfbaked lawyers died some weeks before - by suicide ;-)
Search the web for Mr. Freiherr von Gravenreuth... There's the lord in heaven - no there must be he, sure ;-)

kindly
Roman
 
@tictactux: ...and one of these halfbaked lawyers died some weeks before - by suicide ;-)
I know. Gravenreuth is whom I meant. But I was tactful enough to look for a neutral way to put it. ;-)
 
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