Gibson fires off cease-and-desist over Trump’s limited edition guitars

Ruffling feathers in the music industry once again, a Trump-endorsed design prompted a cease-and-desist letter from an iconic guitar manufacturer.

While President-elect Donald Trump had previously angered artists for the use of their songs, a new legal complaint was sparked after the GOP leader announced a limited edition “45” guitar. In particular, Gibson Inc. issued a cease-and-desist letter alleging trademark infringement over the Les Paul design.

“We can confirm a cease-and-desist has been issued against 16 Creative as the design infringes upon Gibson’s exclusive trademarks, particularly the iconic Les Paul body shape,” the Tennessee-based company informed Guitar World on Monday.

On Nov. 20, Trump posted an image of himself holding one of the guitars to his Truth Social account with the message, “Coming Soon! The Limited Edition ’45’ Guitar. Only 1,300 of each Acoustic and Electric Guitars MADE — Some personally signed!”

Both the electric and acoustic models include the same Bald Eagle and Old Glory design on the body with “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN” emblazoned on the fretboard. Additionally, a 45 encircled by stars was included on the headstock.

At $11,500 a piece, the signed American Eagle Electric Guitar and the unsigned, for $1,500, had already sold out at the time of this post. The acoustic versions sold for $10,250 signed and $1,250 unsigned.

Worth noting, Gibson’s reported statement made no mention of having a specific issue with the president-elect, and Guitar World detailed that the manufacturer “staunchly defended its intellectual property.”

“For instance, it remains embroiled in a long-standing lawsuit with Dean over its usage of V and Z-shaped guitar designs and the Futura headstock,” the outlet stated. “As a result, questions quickly arose from guitarists as to how the firm will react to Trump Guitars’ offerings, given the potential political implications if it were to take legal action.”

Meanwhile, as the president-elect had previously peddled his “God Bless the U.S.A.” edition of the Holy Bible, his golden “Never Surrender” sneakers, and various NFTs, a disclaimer had been added to the website for the guitars that detailed, “GetTrumpGuitars.com is not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with Gibson Brands Inc. or any of its subsidiaries or its affiliates, nor does it represent itself as a dealer, manufacturer, or distributor of Gibson, Les Paul Standard, Les Paul Custom, or any of their products.”

“All of the guitars featured on GetTrumpGuitars.com were custom designed and developed by a Veteran-owned company with the help of a master luthier,” the frequently asked questions page further explained. “These guitars have been manufactured by multiple providers and include parts/features that are both domestic and international. This is standard with most guitar manufacturers.”

As social media caught wind of the cease-and-desist, many argued that Gibson didn’t have a case.

Kevin Haggerty

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