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Gibson alleges Dean is still in contempt of court for continuing to advertise its V and Z guitars
Dean’s 2021 product catalogue has yet to be taken down following Armadillo’s loss in the lengthy trademark battle.
Kerry King playing his signature Dean guitar. Image: Roy Rochlin / Getty
Gibson has alleged, once again, that Dean has failed to comply with the court ruling that found its V and Z shapes to be infringing on Gibson’s trademarks. The new filing is the second of its kind from Gibson, which accused Dean of contempt of court in August.
The new filing calls again for Dean’s parent company Armadillo to be found in contempt of court for failing to comply with the ruling. As evidence, it includes screenshots of Dean’s 2021 product catalogue, which is still hosted online and displays numerous Dean V and Dean Z guitars. Armadillo was “permanently enjoined from the manufacture, advertisement, and/or sale” of these guitars by a court ruling earlier this year.
The new filing reads: “To Gibson’s surprise, it appears that none of the images complained about in the Reply Brief have been removed despite displaying guitars containing counterfeits of Gibson trademarks; in fact, they have included even more images of the Dean V and Dean Z in their catalogue and even offer a new Dean [V] 2022 model for sale.”
While Dean no longer lists the V or Z shapes on its main website, the content Gibson references in its new complaint is indeed accessible. Searching “Dean V” with Google leads to the now defunct product page for the V Series guitars. This page, unlike the rest of Dean’s website, still links to the brand’s 2021 product catalogue, which advertises numerous V and Z models.
Armadillo has not responded to this new filing.
The court is also yet to issue a response to Gibson’s claims, however, Gibson has also submitted a proposed order for the court to sign off on. If it does, it could mean more a hefty fine for Armadillo. The fine would come at a rather tumultuous time for the company, following the exit of CEO Evan Rubinson and the ongoing court cases between him and the new owner (and Rubinson’s mother) Pamela Keris-Rubinson.