...And an hour later I get this Email about my post:
"We seriously pursue those who clone our products and violate our trademarked intellectual property. Cease and desist the cloning of Z.Vex products and use of our name and names of our products. It's also disheartening you would do this to a local company.
--
Thomas Rehbein
Repairs Manager "
LOL. OK. So my listing is for a Mutron II and a Mutron III clone, and that is the only thing mentioned. No other pedals, or brands. So do these guys own Musitronics now? I looked them up, and they ARE a local company, (twin cities MN), but I don't see how I'm a competitor to them. I can't see that they even MAKE Mutron-like stuff.
I would tell them to go pound salt.
Do ZVex now own the Mu-tron name?
Quote from: Torgoslayer on June 07, 2017, 03:02:57 PM
...And an hour later I get this Email about my post:
"We seriously pursue those who clone our products and violate our trademarked intellectual property. Cease and desist the cloning of Z.Vex products and use of our name and names of our products. It's also disheartening you would do this to a local company.
--
Thomas Rehbein
Repairs Manager "
LOL. OK. So my listing is for a Mutron II and a Mutron III clone, and that is the only thing mentioned. No other pedals, or brands. So do these guys own Musitronics now? I looked them up, and they ARE a local company, (twin cities MN), but I don't see how I'm a competitor to them. I can't see that they even MAKE Mutron-like stuff.
If they don't own or have anything to do with mutron, then yeah, they can go pound salt, it's none of their business what you do with your pedals.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
maybe they thought you were selling mastotron clones? wild-ass guess, I know...
I hope you send them a polite e-mail back and they see the potential error of their ways. Depending on the details, their message may be the thing that is disheartening.
I like how they act like they re-invented the wheel when it comes to fuzz faces. Also when did they acquire the Mu-Tron name...oh wait they didn't that's right too!
I guess I'm not one to talk...
Well according to linkedin, Mr. Rehbein does in fact work for Zvex.
But as far as I can tell Zvex has nothing to do with Mutronics or the newer iteration, Mu-fx (aka Beigel Technology Corporation). Perhaps you could put him in touch with Mike Beigel. As Mu-fx has not reissued exact copies of the old circuits, really no leg to stand on there either.
So, send him a very polite email to kindly sod off.
Only thing they can really copyright is the "artwork" of the board, i.e. the exact layout of the components, and the trademark. The circuit isn't really copyrightable. As long as you stay in the realm of fair use on the name (i.e. "this pedal is comparable to a Mutron" not "this pedal is a Mutron") and you didn't copy the original layout (betting you didn't) they don't really have a leg to stand on. They send that crap out to scare people and sadly, it tends to work a lot of the time.
Also, Zvex is about as "local" as Boss is these days.
Just scare tactics by greedy companies. Tell them to pound sand.
Mike Beigel is the mutron guy - unless something changed, I don't think they are at all associated with z vex
Okay, I am confused.
Is it pound sand or pound salt?
Quote from: peAk on June 08, 2017, 02:12:47 AM
Okay, I am confused.
Is it pound sand or pound salt?
Both are used, depending on your local vernacular. http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/go-pound-sand.html
Can we get the play by play on this? Not a lot makes me happier than when big heads make dumb mistakes and get called out.
X2
If you do reply, I am curious to know what happens next.
Morbidly curious myself too ::) ;D
I would suggest simply replying with "I'm not cloning any Z.Vex products, but thanks for your concern."
I mean, unless Old Mr. Vex has indeed bought the Mutron assets.
Do not reply to that message! Craigslist has become an absolute garbage dump for every computer scam artist out there. This is yet another way that individuals try to dupe people, by making seemingly legit claims in which they threaten legal action. Really, all they want is to get your legit email address, that way they can sell it over and over to every peddler of cheap junk, identity thieves, etc, etc.
It's unfortunate that Craigslist has zero security features, it's just not worth it to list there anymore. Go with OfferUp, Reverb, the "buy and sell" section here, Ebay, or just your local paper classifieds instead.
The guy legit works for Z Vex (look him up).
Not a scammer. He is just... how do you say it... a wanker.
So I wrote back. "Thank you for your interest in my work. I am not aware that your company owns or maintains the intellectual rights for Mutron/Musitronics. I would like to discuss your concerns in detail. Can you please provide me with further evidence that I have violated your brand?"
We'll see if they respond.
Quote from: Torgoslayer on June 08, 2017, 02:31:33 PM
So I wrote back. "Thank you for your interest in my work. I am not aware that your company owns or maintains the intellectual rights for Mutron/Musitronics. I would like to discuss your concerns in detail. Can you please provide me with further evidence that I have violated your brand?"
We'll see if they respond.
"I will be happy to remove my Mu-tron pedal clones off of Craigslist once they sell"
Quote from: peAk on June 08, 2017, 02:47:25 PM
Quote from: Torgoslayer on June 08, 2017, 02:31:33 PM
So I wrote back. "Thank you for your interest in my work. I am not aware that your company owns or maintains the intellectual rights for Mutron/Musitronics. I would like to discuss your concerns in detail. Can you please provide me with further evidence that I have violated your brand?"
We'll see if they respond.
"I will be happy to remove my Mu-tron pedal clones off of Craigslist once they sell"
LOL YES
Quote from: raulduke on June 08, 2017, 02:09:33 PM
The guy legit works for Z Vex (look him up).
Not a scammer. He is just... how do you say it... a wanker.
Yes, that guy's name is associated with Z Vex, but anybody can look that up, copy the info, and pretend to be him. A little more research into the matter shows that the Mu-Tron brand name and rights belong to a company called HAZ Labs (they even use the original Musitronics tuning fork logo). The other company, Beigel Technology Corporation, makes clones under the MU-FX name, but neither have anything to do with Z Vex. Big red flag.
As I said, this is clearly a scammer trying to get some kind of information they can use for personal gain. Scammers have become extremely adept at forging legit-looking documents, claiming to be legit people, and even using AI-controlled robo-calls that sound like you are actually talking to a person. Now is not the time to be lax about these kinds of things. We need to be extremely skeptical of anything that "seems odd". And by all means, do not click on random links or ever reply to these guys. The number one means of identity theft, hacking, and virus infection is through email. It is the weakest link on any computer system. Unfortunately, since a reply was made, I'm sure there will be some new junk emails about "hot babes in your area" and that you can "re-finance your home" and that you have a "cancelled Amazon order 18UIZ70-PZ0023".
Have fun with the WannaCry virus.
Right, why would the Repairs Manager be sending out those messages? His job is to repair shit and/or watch other people repair shit. Clearly bait for some scam.
If you want to see some real loonies come out of the woodwork just list some used Apple products on CL...
Quote from: EBRAddict on June 10, 2017, 02:03:58 AM
Right, why would the Repairs Manager be sending out those messages? His job is to repair shit and/or watch other people repair shit. Clearly bait for some scam.
If you want to see some real loonies come out of the woodwork just list some used Apple products on CL...
His job title on Linkedin is "Customer Service & Repairs Manager", so its conceivable. Depends on what the return Email he sent it from is. Could be a scammer, could be an over zealous worker mistaking a pedal for one of theirs (ZVEX does have the reputation for being harsh on the DIY scene).
I would write zvex and let them know that you are concerned someone is trying to impersonate them to trick people into scams.