[Harp-L] Re: Melody MakerTM and Lee Oskar



Dave wrote:

"He went to the trouble and expense of making it a trademark, so I assumed that he cared. It isn't my place to decide that he would be better served by people killing his trademark. If I was out of place mentioning it, mea culpa."

I don't think you were out of place--it's good to recognize that these issues exist, and particularly the reason behind them: because someone went to the effort to create something new, and for the harmonica no less.

But, using the term "Melody Maker" to describe the tuning in general isn't "killing his trademark" any more than talking about "Cheerios" being healthy rather than "toasted whole grain oat cereals" is when some people mention that they buy the generic. The trademark is there not to protect the rest of us from using the term generically, but rather to prevent Hohner, Seydel, Suzuki and others from commercially marketing this tuning under the name--especially when that name has become the generic.

Now, if anyone wants a "Melody Maker" they have to go to LO. If they want it from another company, they have to figure out what name that company has given this tuning which they know by the common name.




()() JR "Bulldogge" Ross () () & Snuffy, too:) `----'







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