Notice regarding Ford battling its Aftermarket Community
Written by: Anonymous Mustang Enthusiast / Business Associate
For those of you who are not familiar with recently exposed affairs of Ford Motor Company, this article should serve to summarize and give further insight into what is taking place. Ford is actively threatening and filing suit against all companies using the word Mustang in their company name.
As more articles and information come to the table, the gravity of this situation further shows itself. Unfortunately, none of the current articles/forum posts written to date have established exactly how deep this issue really goes. I have heard things said along the lines of, “Who cares about MustangsPlus(One of the first to come public), I don’t buy from them anyway” or “I can’t believe Ford is trying to get $10,000 dollars.” This war goes far beyond the scope of just a few companies, and the moneys involved are much more significant than ten thousand dollars. This is a legal war being brought to dozens of companies, and Ford has indicated many times that they are not stopping there. This issue threatens the entire Mustang aftermarket business and community.
Below is a list of companies I can confirm have received cease and desist orders from Ford. I can assure you there are many more who have not spoken publicly about it.
CaliforniaMustang.com || Cal-Mustang.com || MustangTuning.com || MustangsUnlimited.com || TexasMustang.com || DallasMustang.com || MustangDepot.com || StangParts.com || Sacramento-Mustang.com || MustangsPlus.com
I have talked to many of these store owners and can confidently say several of these stores have already been served lawsuits in Michigan. As those of you who have been involved in lawsuits know they are extremely time consuming and can be financially devastating. I do not want to speak on behalf of these companies but can safely assume that not all of these companies are in a financial position to defend themselves against a multibillion dollar company.
As I mentioned above this legal war with Ford will have devastating effects on both the industry and Mustang hobby. The aftermath of Ford’s action will initially disrupt the mustang aftermarket industry but will eventually trickle down and affect each and every mustang enthusiast. A pending lawsuit of this magnitude will immediately cause Mustang shops to divert resources. Time, money and attention will be spent on the impeding legal battles, and not on essential business affairs. Many of these core business functions are what keep the Mustang industry and community alive and growing. One of the most important services these businesses offer to the Mustang community is development of new products. Mustang aftermarket shops play a large role developing new products for the aftermarket community. They are on the frontline when it comes to talking to mustang enthusiasts and getting the ball rolling on the latest aftermarket mods. Some shops take it to the next level and have products manufactured in house. Others will work as the middle man letting the big manufacturers know where there is demand. The food chain of new product development is being greatly impacted.
The other services aftermarket shops offer to the community include, but are not limited to advertising, sponsorships and promotional events. Advertising dollars have become increasingly valuable to the mustang community with the recent increase in websites dedicated to mustangs, online forums, and new mustang magazines. These new media outlets are popping up because the advertising dollar is there to support them.
As some of you may have read in “Mustang Monthly” Ford lawyers have made direct threats to these media outlets. They have threatened to sue the websites, forums and large magazines that use mustang in their name. While I find it unlikely Ford would pursue lawsuits against these outlets, the reality is the Ford doesn’t need to directly attack these media outlets to hurt them. Mustang aftermarket shops are what fuel these websites, forums, and magazines. I am sure you have all noticed the abundance of ads on forums, websites and print magazines. These ads are what pay the bills. They keep the forums you visit every day running, and the staff at these magazines working diligently. As advertisers become occupied fighting this absurd dispute surely the funding and eventually the quality of these resources will fade.
Prosecuting the mustang aftermarket shops is an attack on the entire mustang community. The successful history of the Mustang can be attributed in strong part to the Mustang community and their support, loyalty, and love for the Mustang car. This leaves us with many unanswered questions. Why are they attacking the very companies that promote their product? Why are they going after the Mustang enthusiasts that support and love their cars? Why now, when many of these businesses have been around for decades? While it is easy for us to foresee the damage Ford will be doing to themselves in the long term, the law firms in charge are much too short sighted to understand this, or care either way.
Thus far, one Ford representative, Mustang Marketing director Jim Owens, has come forward and made efforts to slap some sense into Ford’s legal firms. This excerpt below shows he has begun to make efforts to get to the bottom of this,
“I met with Jim Owens, Ford’s Mustang Marketing Manager, during last weekend’s Mid-America Shelby Meet in Tulsa. Jim relayed to me that he was not aware of the legal department’s pursuit of companies using the Mustang name until someone sent him an advance copy of my editorial. He immediately went to the legal department and told them that the enforcement was not to the benefit of Ford Motor Company. Jim told me that as a result of his meeting(s) with legal, the cease and desist letters are no longer being sent out and that they are trying to figure out how to resolve the situation with companies that have already been contacted. Also, they are working on some type of licensing program that would allow companies in good standing to continue using the Mustang name, perhaps with something as simple as a $1 licensing fee. Nothing is official yet, but I reiterated to Jim that time is of the essence, seeing how many of the contacted companies are spending money every week on lawyers and legal fees.” - Donald Farr, Editor Mustang Monthly Magazine
I was thrilled when I first came across this statement. It shows that the efforts being made with the media, the people, and the petitions, have finally broken the surface. This is a major step in the battle. A representative of Ford has made clear acknowledgement as to the harm that these issues will cause to their company. I applaud Jim for the effort he is making. Unfortunately, I can ensure you the legal battles have not come to an end, and are far from over. I am aware of continuing legal action, as well as new threats being made by Ford’s legal department. It appears as if Jim’s efforts may not have been strong enough to put this issue to sleep. Regardless, this is the type of thing that has the potential to make good progress, so it can be viewed as a hurdle crossed.
Many of your favorite Mustang shops are still paying lawyers day in and day out to defend this fatal issue. Things occur slowly at large companies, and it is difficult to get a company of Ford’s size to change anything. Nothing short of a continued outpouring of support and tremendous effort on the part of the Mustang community will put an end to this struggle.
It is times like these when I am disgraced to bleed Blue.
Written by: Anonymous Mustang Enthusiast / Business Associate
For those of you who are not familiar with recently exposed affairs of Ford Motor Company, this article should serve to summarize and give further insight into what is taking place. Ford is actively threatening and filing suit against all companies using the word Mustang in their company name.
As more articles and information come to the table, the gravity of this situation further shows itself. Unfortunately, none of the current articles/forum posts written to date have established exactly how deep this issue really goes. I have heard things said along the lines of, “Who cares about MustangsPlus(One of the first to come public), I don’t buy from them anyway” or “I can’t believe Ford is trying to get $10,000 dollars.” This war goes far beyond the scope of just a few companies, and the moneys involved are much more significant than ten thousand dollars. This is a legal war being brought to dozens of companies, and Ford has indicated many times that they are not stopping there. This issue threatens the entire Mustang aftermarket business and community.
Below is a list of companies I can confirm have received cease and desist orders from Ford. I can assure you there are many more who have not spoken publicly about it.
CaliforniaMustang.com || Cal-Mustang.com || MustangTuning.com || MustangsUnlimited.com || TexasMustang.com || DallasMustang.com || MustangDepot.com || StangParts.com || Sacramento-Mustang.com || MustangsPlus.com
I have talked to many of these store owners and can confidently say several of these stores have already been served lawsuits in Michigan. As those of you who have been involved in lawsuits know they are extremely time consuming and can be financially devastating. I do not want to speak on behalf of these companies but can safely assume that not all of these companies are in a financial position to defend themselves against a multibillion dollar company.
As I mentioned above this legal war with Ford will have devastating effects on both the industry and Mustang hobby. The aftermath of Ford’s action will initially disrupt the mustang aftermarket industry but will eventually trickle down and affect each and every mustang enthusiast. A pending lawsuit of this magnitude will immediately cause Mustang shops to divert resources. Time, money and attention will be spent on the impeding legal battles, and not on essential business affairs. Many of these core business functions are what keep the Mustang industry and community alive and growing. One of the most important services these businesses offer to the Mustang community is development of new products. Mustang aftermarket shops play a large role developing new products for the aftermarket community. They are on the frontline when it comes to talking to mustang enthusiasts and getting the ball rolling on the latest aftermarket mods. Some shops take it to the next level and have products manufactured in house. Others will work as the middle man letting the big manufacturers know where there is demand. The food chain of new product development is being greatly impacted.
The other services aftermarket shops offer to the community include, but are not limited to advertising, sponsorships and promotional events. Advertising dollars have become increasingly valuable to the mustang community with the recent increase in websites dedicated to mustangs, online forums, and new mustang magazines. These new media outlets are popping up because the advertising dollar is there to support them.
As some of you may have read in “Mustang Monthly” Ford lawyers have made direct threats to these media outlets. They have threatened to sue the websites, forums and large magazines that use mustang in their name. While I find it unlikely Ford would pursue lawsuits against these outlets, the reality is the Ford doesn’t need to directly attack these media outlets to hurt them. Mustang aftermarket shops are what fuel these websites, forums, and magazines. I am sure you have all noticed the abundance of ads on forums, websites and print magazines. These ads are what pay the bills. They keep the forums you visit every day running, and the staff at these magazines working diligently. As advertisers become occupied fighting this absurd dispute surely the funding and eventually the quality of these resources will fade.
Prosecuting the mustang aftermarket shops is an attack on the entire mustang community. The successful history of the Mustang can be attributed in strong part to the Mustang community and their support, loyalty, and love for the Mustang car. This leaves us with many unanswered questions. Why are they attacking the very companies that promote their product? Why are they going after the Mustang enthusiasts that support and love their cars? Why now, when many of these businesses have been around for decades? While it is easy for us to foresee the damage Ford will be doing to themselves in the long term, the law firms in charge are much too short sighted to understand this, or care either way.
Thus far, one Ford representative, Mustang Marketing director Jim Owens, has come forward and made efforts to slap some sense into Ford’s legal firms. This excerpt below shows he has begun to make efforts to get to the bottom of this,
“I met with Jim Owens, Ford’s Mustang Marketing Manager, during last weekend’s Mid-America Shelby Meet in Tulsa. Jim relayed to me that he was not aware of the legal department’s pursuit of companies using the Mustang name until someone sent him an advance copy of my editorial. He immediately went to the legal department and told them that the enforcement was not to the benefit of Ford Motor Company. Jim told me that as a result of his meeting(s) with legal, the cease and desist letters are no longer being sent out and that they are trying to figure out how to resolve the situation with companies that have already been contacted. Also, they are working on some type of licensing program that would allow companies in good standing to continue using the Mustang name, perhaps with something as simple as a $1 licensing fee. Nothing is official yet, but I reiterated to Jim that time is of the essence, seeing how many of the contacted companies are spending money every week on lawyers and legal fees.” - Donald Farr, Editor Mustang Monthly Magazine
I was thrilled when I first came across this statement. It shows that the efforts being made with the media, the people, and the petitions, have finally broken the surface. This is a major step in the battle. A representative of Ford has made clear acknowledgement as to the harm that these issues will cause to their company. I applaud Jim for the effort he is making. Unfortunately, I can ensure you the legal battles have not come to an end, and are far from over. I am aware of continuing legal action, as well as new threats being made by Ford’s legal department. It appears as if Jim’s efforts may not have been strong enough to put this issue to sleep. Regardless, this is the type of thing that has the potential to make good progress, so it can be viewed as a hurdle crossed.
Many of your favorite Mustang shops are still paying lawyers day in and day out to defend this fatal issue. Things occur slowly at large companies, and it is difficult to get a company of Ford’s size to change anything. Nothing short of a continued outpouring of support and tremendous effort on the part of the Mustang community will put an end to this struggle.
It is times like these when I am disgraced to bleed Blue.
Anyone know the new website name or have a link? 
