Members of this site have in the past helped Jeep with a couple of press-related trail events and the response from the company has been positive

I think it's so darn Bizarre that I emailed back and forth with Ford when they were designing the FX4 and even got to wheel with them to test it out before it hit the dealers, and now their screwing with us.

In a world with Lawyers on every street corner ready to sue someone , I would guess anything is possible or may happen, but LOST should be pretty well protected with the wording at the bottom.
I mean Jeep even used LOST Trailride pictures and mentioned LOST in the 2006 Liberty Brochures so they know who LOST is and where we are

I guess we do have this across the bottom of our site:
Jeep® and Liberty are copyrighted and trademarked to Daimler-Chrysler Corporation.
LOST KJS.com is not associated with or endorsed by the Daimler-Chrysler Corp.
All other content is copyright LOST KJS© 2005

this article just came out today about Ford suing a Ranger enthusiast site for copyright infringement.

Don't get suckered in with a sob story about this being about the name of the site. This guy is an intellectual property theif selling counterfeit goods, just like the fake gucci stuff at the flea market.

Even his logo :



is stolen from:



Link to the faked goods:

http://64.233.169.132/search?sourcei...ecals_Ford.htm

If the link gets taken down, TRS is selling the tint strips for the top of the windshield that have a ford logo at each end and the truck name in the middle, with no mention of the website. They are selling " built ford tough" stickers. FORD lettering for tailgates. Ford emblems & badges. Stuff like that & none of this stuff even bothers to list the website, it is an out-and-out commercial venture.

Letter from Ford:

Thank you for your email. What people do not understand is that the Ranger Station was selling, without a license, counterfeit Ford® decals as depicted below:






( note: see link above)






These Ford trademarks are the intellectual property of Ford and Ford has authorized licensees who sell these decals and pay a licensing royalty to Ford. Think about it this way. Assume that you are a world-famous celebrity and people are counterfeits of your autograph or photos that were falsely autographed by you and making money off of your autograph and image. You would demand that these people stop selling your counterfeit autograph and image and that these people compensate you for misappropriating your image. Similarly, if someone were selling counterfeit images of Mickey Mouse, the Walt Disney Corporation would go after them. If someone were selling T-Shirts with counterfeits of the Dallas Cowboy logo, the Dallas Cowboys would go after them.

Ford has no complaints with Ranger enthusiasts or people who support the Ford brand. All Ford is doing is protecting its intellectual property, and protecting its licensees.

Here is an article that I wrote recently about why Ford protects its trademarks. I hope that it helps you understand Ford’s position. I also hope that you will post this email on your discussion boards that Ranger enthusiasts consider and understand Ford’s position.

The Ford trademarks and trade dress are some of the most recognizable in the world. Ford takes a tremendous amount of pride in this, and considers its trademarks to be among the most valuable assets. In an effort to both enhance and protect the value of the Ford name and image, Ford is constantly engaged in both promoting its trademarks and policing their use to ensure that persons and businesses authorized to do so use the trademarks in an acceptable manner.

Because of the cachet of the world-famous Ford name, thousands of independent businesses and people make a living from or pursue a hobby related to Ford products and services. Unfortunately, many of these businesses improperly attempt to affiliate themselves with Ford by using Ford trademarks and trade dress (for instance, the depictions or photographs of Ford’s distinctively shaped vehicles) in advertising their products and services. Ford appreciates the enthusiasm these people have for Ford products. Ford in no way wants to put these companies out of business, or prevent these businesses from advertising their products and services in a manner that is fair under Federal and state trademark laws. Ford cannot, however, allow these businesses to use Ford’s trademarks and trade dress in a way that creates the appearance that these businesses are affiliated with, sponsored by, or approved by Ford when they are not.

Ford’s trademarks and trade dress serve several important purposes. First, seeing the distinctive Ford logo on a product or business is an immediate indication that the product or business is authorized by Ford. Second, a product bearing a Ford trademark is an indication that the product is of high quality and has passed Ford’s strict quality control procedures and inspections. Third, placing a Ford trademark on a product indicates that Ford, or an authorized agent, is the source of the product, and that the product is genuine and not counterfeit. When the public purchases a product or service sold under a Ford trademark, the public has every right to expect that the product or service is the “real thing.” All of this, in turn, contributes to the value of Ford trademarks as legitimate and important business assets of the company.

At times Ford enthusiasts question why Ford is so adamant about policing its trademarks and preventing unauthorized uses or infringements of them. It is quite common for someone who is using a trademark without permission to say, “I’m giving Ford free advertising, so why does Ford care?” Ford cares because it is important that Ford be able to exercise control over the quality of the product or service bearing Ford’s trademarks. If a disreputable business sells an inferior product or service that uses a Ford trademark, the poor quality of that product or service reflects on Ford. A person who is disappointed by that poor product or service will not take the time to determine whether Ford in fact authorized the use of its trademarks. They will, probably rightly, assume Ford to be the ultimate source of their disappointment and may transfer their loyalty to a competitor.

If a business not affiliated with Ford uses any Ford trademark, whether through the use of photographs, depictions or silhouettes, or any confusingly similar variation thereof, without Ford’s express, written consent, then that business is violating Federal and state trademarks laws. That business is also misleading the public into believing that such business is affiliated with Ford. It is also not sufficient for a business to state that it is not affiliated with Ford but continue to use Ford trademarks without permission. The business is still misappropriating the goodwill and reputation developed by Ford, and attempting to capitalize on or profit from Ford’s goodwill and reputation. Even with the best of intentions, unauthorized use of another company’s trademark is against the law and misleading to the general public.

Unauthorized and infringing uses of Ford’s trademarks come in many disguises. Examples of cases in which Ford has successfully pursued infringers include the following: (1) businesses that use Ford trademarks in their business name such as “John Doe’s Ford Repair;” (2) businesses that use Ford trademarks or trade dress in advertisements, including phone book advertisements; (3) businesses that place Ford trademarks or trade dress on products such as shirts, coffee mugs, key fobs, etc.; and (4) businesses that use Ford trademarks in their Internet domain names.

Ford genuinely hopes the public understands the need for Ford to police and enforce the proper use of its trademarks and trade dress. To protect the value of its trademarks, Ford is obligated to object to and pursue unauthorized uses of its trademarks and trade dress, even if the use of the trademark or trade dress does not appear offensive or objectionable. If Ford does not do so, it may be deemed under the trademark laws to have abandoned its trademark rights. We thank you for your understanding and support.

Gregory D. Phillips
Howard Phillips & Andersen
560 East 200 South, Suite 300
Salt Lake City, Utah 84102
801-366-7707
801-366-7706 (Fax)


Gregory D. Phillips
Howard Phillips & Andersen
560 East 200 South, Suite 300
Salt Lake City, Utah 84102
801-366-7707
801-366-7706 (Fax)[/color]

It is easy to try to play on people's sympathies, but had he not set out to illegally make money off of Ford's trademarks, this never would have happened. And as long as L.O.S.T. or any other group makes the focus of their logo's/products L.O.S.T. and not entirely a stolen trademarked design, they should never have to worry. Again, the smokescreen here is that this is about the website: it is not. The products that caused the problem do not even mention the website.