Gibson Wins Some Trademark Claims Over Guitar Design at Trial

Guitar maker Gibson Brands Inc. convinced a Texas federal jury that a distributor sold counterfeit guitars, including ones with the Flying V design used by Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen.

However, the jury in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas found on May 27 that Gibson had excessively delayed its trademark infringement claims for some of its guitar designs.

The jury awarded Gibson $4,000 in statutory damages and determined that it didn’t suffer actual damages from Armadillo Distribution Enterprises Inc., which distributes Dean- and Luna-branded guitars.

Gibson said in a statement that the jury verdict ...