A very interesting legal case concerning

General
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Fender Guitars, But Set That Aside For a Moment, because if it works with Guitars where does it end?

https://www.bing.com/copilotsearch?q=fender+lawsuit&form=CSBRAND

Fender has initiated legal actions targeting S-style guitar makers, asserting copyright over the Stratocaster body design and sending cease-and-desist letters to enforce this claim, notably affecting PRS and US boutique builders like LSL Instruments.

Background of the Legal Dispute

In March 2026, Fender achieved a default judgment in the DĂĽsseldorf Regional Court in Germany against Chinese-based Yiwu Philharmonic Musical Instruments Co., which recognized the Stratocaster as a copyrighted work of applied art, rather than merely a trademark

Guitar.com

. This ruling provides Fender legal grounds to enforce copyright protections, particularly across the European Union, and marks a significant shift from previous US and EU rulings where the Stratocaster body shape was considered generic

Some builders, like LSL Instruments, have hired Ronald Bienstock — the attorney who previously defeated Fender in a 2009 trademark case — to defend them Yahoo. Bienstock and others argue:

  • The DĂĽsseldorf ruling is not binding in the U.S. and may not hold up in American courts Yahoo.

  • Fender’s default win was due to the defendant’s absence and may not reflect a broader legal victory Yahoo.

  • The Stratocaster body design is not a protected work of art in the U.S., and Leo Fender never copyrighted it Ultimate Guitar.

It is my understanding that Leo Fender didn’t get a patent or a copyright for his Guitars shape he sold Fender Guitars, built a competator GHL(?) and used the same design.

Fender as a market competator kind of rested on their Laurals for decades while their Competition using the Stratocaster Shaped Guitars totally reinvented the Stratocaster by innovation and new hardware designs.

Now they want all of their marbles back.

I just found this interesting from a Business point of view.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU7RUpkXsV0

People I respect think this was a Stupid Move.

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