Fender regrets how it started

CEO Bud Cole told Bloomberg the company made mistakes in its approach to enforcing Stratocaster copyright protection. He says the legal process got ahead of them.

“"It's clear to me that this got ahead of us, the legal process got ahead of us, and that we could have done this better."”

The cease-and-desist wave

In May, Fender sent cease-and-desist letters to 60 guitar builders claiming they made Strat copies. The move sparked widespread criticism from players and brands.

Now targeting only big players

Cole says Fender is now focused solely on large manufacturers, not boutique or small builders. The company is no longer pursuing the smaller shops it initially contacted.

“"We are very, very focused solely on large manufacturers now. We are not focused at all now on boutique builders."”

Major brands already served

Schecter, Ernie Ball Music Man, PRS, Yamaha, and Harley Benton are among the biggest guitar companies that received cease-and-desist letters from Fender.

18 builders already agreed

Fender is working with 32 builders total, and 18 have already signed agreements to stop making Stratocasters and redesign their models instead.

Boutique makers fighting back

LsL Instruments and other small builders are defending their right to make Strat-style guitars, represented by attorney Ron Bienstock, who beat Fender in a trademark case in 2009.

The Strat definition problem

Cole avoided defining what actually makes a Stratocaster during his interview. Bloomberg noted that defining the iconic design turned out to be surprisingly slippery.

Thomann case will decide it

All eyes are on the Thomann versus Fender lawsuit and what the 18 redesigned guitars will look like. How distinct they need to be from the Stratocaster remains unclear.