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Gibson Returns Oberheim Trademark to Tom Oberheim


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I'm on the floor at Summer NAMM when this comes across my feed. This one hits close to home in a very good way. I've talked to Tom many times about how much he'd like his trademark back, and once got in Gibson's face at a very high level and said, "Yamaha did it for Dave Smith, you can damned well do it for Tom." I don't think this has anything to do with that as the leadership (JC Curleigh) is totally different, but applause and kudos to Gibson for doing the right thing. Hopefully we'll see the old logo on some new synths!

https://guitar.com/news/industry-news/gibson-returns-tom-oberheim-trademark/

Stephen Fortner

Principal, Fortner Media

Former Editor in Chief, Keyboard Magazine

Digital Piano Consultant, Piano Buyer Magazine

 

Industry affiliations: Antares, Arturia, Giles Communications, MS Media, Polyverse

 

 

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Here is full text of press release:

 

NASHVILLE, TN (Friday, July 19, 2019) In a gesture of good will for the music instrument industry, Gibson and its President and CEO, James 'JC' Curleigh, have granted possession of the Oberheim brand and intellectual property back to its original owner and company founder, synthesizer pioneer Tom Oberheim.

 

Gibson has owned the Oberheim brand name for several years as it sought to expand into other categories. With the renewed focus on its core business, Gibson is rationalizing their legacy portfolio accordingly, but the Oberheim brand deserved special attention. A chance encounter at Winter NAMM turned into a quest to return the Oberheim brand name back to its original owner and founder.

'Of the many stories I have heard and decisions I have made since joining Gibson, this situation seemed simple,' says James 'JC" Curleigh, President and CEO of

Gibson. 'Let"s do the right thing by putting the Oberheim brand back in the hands of its" namesake founder Tom Oberheim.'

 

The team have been working on this solution for the past few months, and recently, JC and Tom had a discussion to 'seal the deal".

 

'After over thirty years of being without it, I am thrilled to once again be able to use the Oberheim trademark for my products,' said Tom Oberheim. 'I am very grateful to the new leadership team of Gibson for making this possible.'

 

Tom Oberheim continues to make classic analog synthesizers that are direct decendants of the legendary machines from the '70s and '80s that first carried his name (http://www.tomoberheim.com). In the spirit of collaboration and working together to create a healthy music industry, the new team at Gibson is excited to have Tom Oberheim officially be able to use his trademark once again and wish him the best for the future.

Stephen Fortner

Principal, Fortner Media

Former Editor in Chief, Keyboard Magazine

Digital Piano Consultant, Piano Buyer Magazine

 

Industry affiliations: Antares, Arturia, Giles Communications, MS Media, Polyverse

 

 

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:2thu:

 

This is literally the most heartwarming thing that I have read today! It is an honorable and inspiring action by the new Gibson CEO.

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Gig: Yamaha MODX7, NumaX 73 Piano  Studio: Kawai ES-920; Hammond SK Pro 73; Yamaha Motif ES7 w/DX,VL,VH; Yamaha YC 73; Kawai MP-6; Numa Compact 2x

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