Subject: Military trademark and licensing issues
Date: Apr2120059:08a
Greetings,For the past year Stevens International has undertaken the issue of licensing and royalty-collecting by the defense contractors for the making of model kit and toy replicas of military planes, tanks and ships. The issue here is that these companies (for example, Boeing, Lockheed, Grumman, Sikorsky, etc) are demanding contracts and payments from the model manufacturers in the hobby industry for the right to reproduce military replicas in miniature. The items in question were not only paid for by the USA taxpayer, but the designations they are registering may not even belong to them: these are designations which were chosen by the US Department of Defense (P-51, F-14, etc). In addition, IMMA’s contention is that these vehicles would not even have been made had it not been for the US Government and the US taxpayer: you and I among them. How, then, is it proper to claim these as their own and to have the gall to charge our industry makers for the right to manufacture miniature replicas? This not only adds cost to the products (royalty percentages, bookkeeping, etc), but the ethics of this is certainly questionable.
For the past 6 months, Congressman Robert Andrews (D-NJ) has been diligently working with us to enact legislation to prohibit these actions by the defense contractors. He is a very dedicated business-minded man who tries to right any wrong affecting smallbusinesses, particularly those in his district. Next month, he will present this as an amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill and it will be brought to a vote. The amendment basically states “The Secretary of Defense is to prohibit those entering into defense contracts with the US Government from requiring fees or licenses from toy and hobby manufacturers, distributors or merchants for the use of military likenesses or designations". If passed this will open the door for the manufacturers to make kits as they wish, to release them quicker, and without the worry of "Big Brother" trying to regulate it.
In order to get this passed,Andrews' office is asking anyone in the hobby industry(hobbyist or shopkeeper) who lives inor has a shop in the district of any of the members of the Armed Services Committee to call that office to speak to either the legislator or an aide to offer support for this amendment (letters may not work, as by the time they are read it is likely the bill will have already been up for a vote). You may invoke the name of Congressman Andrews and advise that you know this amendment will be brought to the Committee when it meets in late May. You may even state the quoted text above. A link to the list of Armed Services Committee members is below:
Ifyou see any in your district, Republican or Democrat, click on their name and all the contact information will appear. Mr. Andrews is also seeking a Republican co-sponsor of this amendment in order to improve its chances of passage.
This is a real one-time chance to make something big happen for the benefit of the hobby industry, and you can help us do it. The executive board of IMMA is deeply involved in this, and have already contacted their reps. I ask you to do the same. I ask only one favor: If contact is made with either your committee member or an aide, please advise me at once at email address . Andrews' office wishes to follow up with any congressional office where contact has been made in order to acquire additional support.
Thanks, and with your help we can hopefully rid the hobby industry of this persistent nuisance.
Mike Bass