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  #11  
Old 12-30-2012, 11:14 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ManofSteele
The Sizzler is the one Estes is most interested in keeping alive, because they have the rights to the name, much the Mattel's chagrin. If you remember the Mattel Sizzler race cars, you will know why Estes collected a royalty from Mattel for use of the name. Estes can only keep the rights if there is a current product (within about 3 years, IIRC) using the name, so that is what they do. It doesn't matter what the design looks like, it just matters that the name is used.

Matt



That, my friend, is a great bit of trivia knowledge! But wait... Estes must've usurped the rights to the name. Mattel Sizzlers came out by at least 1969, and Estes did not have a model by that name until 1983, as far as I can tell. Did Mattel just fail to register the name? That seems very odd. Or did they not produce Sizzler cars for awhile and allowed the registration to drop, allowing Estes to take the name?
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  #12  
Old 12-31-2012, 06:49 AM
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Thre were also at least two completely different "Rangers". One of them used the same NC as the Exocet.
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  #13  
Old 12-31-2012, 03:30 PM
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There are 2 Estes Polaris models, Est. 1324 Polaris and Est. 2174 Polaris. They are completely different from each other. The older 1324 just sold on eBay yesterday and the newer 2174 Polaris is fairly common.
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  #14  
Old 12-31-2012, 05:34 PM
Scott6060842 Scott6060842 is offline
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Two Estes Banshees ... the later one was just re released (are they protecting that name too?)
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  #15  
Old 12-31-2012, 07:14 PM
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Default Sizzlers

Clockwise from the top: 1984 version, 1997 version and current RTF version.....
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  #16  
Old 12-31-2012, 07:16 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sandman
The Sizzler.

I talked to Christine and Mary at Estes about this years ago.

Their reasoning is for copyright. If they keep using the name they keep the rights to it.


Trademark. You can't copyright a name.

-- Roger
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  #17  
Old 12-31-2012, 07:24 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Royatl
That, my friend, is a great bit of trivia knowledge! But wait... Estes must've usurped the rights to the name. Mattel Sizzlers came out by at least 1969, and Estes did not have a model by that name until 1983, as far as I can tell. Did Mattel just fail to register the name? That seems very odd. Or did they not produce Sizzler cars for awhile and allowed the registration to drop, allowing Estes to take the name?


A trademark only applies to a specific product or service within a designated market. I doubt there's an overlap between "toy cars" and "toy rockets," but IANAL. Often companies will negotiate a license to use another's trademark in advance just to be safe. It's sort of an insurance policy. And, it illustrates why a company like Estes would want to hold onto their intellectual properties including trademarks.

There's a "Disney's Used Cars" just down the street here in Orlando. :-)

-- Roger
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  #18  
Old 12-31-2012, 07:28 PM
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I think Sizzler is the most commonly-reused Estes name.

As an aside, Estes, Centuri, Canaroc, Semroc, FlisKits, and Custom Rockets have produced kits with the name "Nomad."

-- Roger
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  #19  
Old 12-31-2012, 08:01 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jadebox
Trademark. You can't copyright a name.

-- Roger


Well, don't tell me tell Christine.

Actually you can.

I use to work for Kliegl Bros. lighting. The makers of the Klieglight.

The company went belly up after 96 years and was taken over by a holding company.

When Robert Kliegl one of the Kliegl brothers started his own lighting company he was told by the holding company's lawyers that he could not name his company Robert Kliegl Lighting.
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  #20  
Old 12-31-2012, 09:08 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sandman
Actually you can.


No, you cannot copyright a name.
"Copyright does not protect names, titles, slogans, or short phrases." - http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/f...tect.html#title

Don't confuse copyrights with trademarks. Although, there's some overlap, they protect different things. See: http://www.lawmart.com/forms/difference.htm

Quote:
Originally Posted by sandman
When Robert Kliegl one of the Kliegl brothers started his own lighting company he was told by the holding company's lawyers that he could not name his company Robert Kliegl Lighting.


That's probably because the name was trademarked and the holding company held the rights to the trademark.

-- Roger
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