Piaggio ... what the ...?!

[gstallons]

A warm and fuzzy feeling . Not to compare M/G with H/D .but around here you cannot sew , weld, make wooden idols , anything w/the words , colors, liken or graven images Harley Davison w/o getting a cease and desist order from The Firm ! Jehovah (of the Old Testament) didn't have this kind of attitude. And he had some people to keep in line. I guess the golden calf was o/k but when they branded the wings & M/G emblem , KABOOM !

 Now , when you have to explain to most everyone you meet how to pronounce / spell it , much less what it is , you know this is not a household name.  If "the parent company" charged $1.00 for every time this name was typed on a computer , they might earn $200.00/yr. 

[Pressureangle]

Worthless opinion;

Trademark protection should be invalid for commerce which *cannot be entered into by the trademark holder*. 

That is, Moto Guzzi obsoletes a part, they don't get to pursue protection from those who continue to provide it. 

This thread has reduced by half the possibility I'll buy a new V100. Or whatever their new watercooled aeroplane is called.

[Paul Minnaert]

I got the layers letter too, for fastguzzi.nl

[pete roper]

Corporate 'Moronthink' at its very finest!

[gstallons]

I am w/o words . Are there any Guzzi family members still alive ?  Maybe they have a cease and desist letter at their house too ?

 

[footgoose]

On 2/4/2023 at 1:17 PM, gstallons said:

A warm and fuzzy feeling . Not to compare M/G with H/D .but around here you cannot sew , weld, make wooden idols , anything w/the words , colors, liken or graven images Harley Davison w/o getting a cease and desist order from The Firm ! Jehovah (of the Old Testament) didn't have this kind of attitude. And he had some people to keep in line. I guess the golden calf was o/k but when they branded the wings & M/G emblem , KABOOM !

 Now , when you have to explain to most everyone you meet how to pronounce / spell it , much less what it is , you know this is not a household name.  If "the parent company" charged $1.00 for every time this name was typed on a computer , they might earn $200.00/yr. 

I had something brilliant to say but.... ^^^ this pretty much covers it ^^^

[biesel]

Next victim:

https://www.facebook.com/radicalspeedshop

Some years ago:

 

[Speedfrog]

A one man shop with a clear passion for the brand. Really Piaggio?  What harm is there to your multi brand international corporation. It is thanks to people like Stefan that the reputation of Moto Guzzi as far more meaning and long lasting power then any corporate advertising campaign could achieve. Do you think so many people would be interested in your new products or even know you existed if it wasn’t for the brand evangelists(Guzzisti) of this world? They should be given credit and support and be promoted as brand ambassadors. Instead they are treated with total disrespect and petty squabbles over the use of the Guzzi name. I bet the founders of Moto Guzzi would be delighted to see their venerable name and creation embraced by those artisans.

In this fast spinning world we found ourselves living in, it seems that a lot of traditional values - respect, kindness, compassion - along with the freedom to follow your dreams, are being eroded by the power of the all-mighty corporation and their army of lawyers, and as a result the little people - creators, inventors, artists, etc..- are being squashed into submission and brought under control. Sad to see that such is the case with the brand that we all love and share here.

End of rant. And sorry for the black cloud...

Thanks to Jan @biesel for sharing the portrait of Stefan and Radical Guzzi which was a pleasant discovery!

[LowRyter]

I wish that Piaggio would put that wasted legal money into their freaking products.  It would be nice to get a new design on the road when people wanted it without the hidden defects.

[al_roethlisberger]

On 2/3/2023 at 7:16 PM, al_roethlisberger said:

Yep, this happened on several forums I've perused over the years (decades).

 

The Honda Pilot forum became "Piloteers" for a similar reason many years ago.

 

On the other hand, there are also many examples of where a manufacturer has worked with and supported owners and fans, recognizing the value they bring in "free advertising" and that they don't present a threat to the corporation, branding, or trademark.  The corporation and the "fan entity" sometimes do have to come to a legal agreement though to allow use so that there is no risk of unintentional legal trademark issues.

 

An example of this is the Riviera Owners Association, which uses a stylized logo similar to the Buick Riviera.  They obtained permission from GM at some point to use the likeness, etc.

 

Riviera Owners Assocation Home Page (rivowners.org)

 

 

 

 

 

[docc]

I seem to recall it was someone at Ford Motor Company that said, "An enthusiast is worth ten sales."

[80CX100]

I think it's extremely bad business & counter productive.

Manufacturers spend a lot of money on advertising,endorsements,movie placements etc,trying to develop brand recognition and hype & buzz about their products.

As Docc mentions above, enthusiasts,forums,custom shops create a lot of good free promotion AND excited paying customers.

I never did read Dave Richardson's books as Lucky Phil recommended,to get an understanding of the difficulties working with the guzzi factory/owners;but from the outside looking in,they seem to take pleasure & excel at pissing in the wrong people's corn flakes,jmho

[biesel]

The freaking thing is that Radical Guzzi was featured on Moto Guzzi's official homepage and YT channel.
I am also working in Marketing (B2B) and branding is important of course.
I would have offered those independent shops a kind of partnership => Keep the name but place a banner linking to MGs website.

You cannot get most parts anymore HMB is selling from MG/Piaggio.
But shops like this strenghten the brand because they help to keep the heritage alive.

If you just look at what models MG/Piaggio has created the last ten years ... it is ridiculous => V7, V85/9, V100 and even the smallblocks are more ore less just updates. 
 

For me being a "GuzziGuy" since 1992 it makes me sad. I guess will never buy a new Guzzi (e.g. this Aprilia V100) again ... 

[gstallons]

IDK what Piaggo wants or wants to do w/the brand ? It seems like they want to dilute , emasculate or kill it .  I thought the US was the only country that did this ? 

 I would think they would want they would want to emphasize personality (quirkiness) and work in conjunction w/sellers, dealerships and clubs, already established. 

 With this being said, I cannot imagine 5 letters would be this problematic or how would you identify yourself or be PROUD of your ownership or involvement with M**O G***I. 

[billgreenman1]

Kinda reminds me of the "bad ol' days" at Grateful Dead concerts where the music industry cops busted kids hawking any t-shirt having the name of the band or specific logos, killing their gas & beer income. The band didn't care, but all the corporate f#@ks sucking at the golden teat sure did...

Edited February 12, 2023 by billgreenman1
Spelling