Microscale discontinuing Mobil decals

[sjordan2]

This may be of interest to some racing and diorama builders (I don't know why it came to my e-mail).

Microscale Industries Announcement

ExxonMobile Terminates Trademark License Agreements - Effective June 9, 2013

Recently we were notified by ExxonMobile that our Mobil decal 87-938 & 60-938 that we have been printing since 1998 may no longer be printed due to a termination of the license agreement by ExxonMobile. As of June 9th 2013 these decals will no longer be available.

Please use this opportunity to stock up on these collectables for you, your kids and grand kids. You only have a few more weeks before these will have to be formally destroyed to comply with the termination agreement. These will make a great collectable...so get them while they last. Click on the image below to be directed to our website for ordering.

HO Scale - 87-938 | N Scale 60-938

Edited May 15, 2013 by sjordan2

[Casey]

You only have a few more weeks before these will have to be formally destroyed to comply with the termination agreement.

They aren't messing around, are they?

[Harry P.]

You only have a few more weeks before these will have to be formally destroyed...

Will they be destroyed by men wearing tuxedos?

[sjordan2]

Will they be destroyed by men wearing tuxedos?

...and women in Balenciaga gowns.

But this is another example of what happens with copyright considerations, which are often discussed on this forum. I mean, this is happening to a supplier that actually HAD a copyright agreement, not a pirate, and it's being withdrawn.

[Harry P.]

With the kind of profits oil companies make, you'd think something as relatively nickel-and-dime as a decal licensing agreement wouldn't even register on their radar.

[sjordan2]

With the kind of profits oil companies make, you'd think something as relatively nickel-and-dime as a decal licensing agreement wouldn't even register on their radar.

But the junior law clerks need something to do.

[Austin T]

With the kind of profits oil companies make, you'd think something as relatively nickel-and-dime as a decal licensing agreement wouldn't even register on their radar.

Funny story about that situation. I have a friend who is partnered with someone in Europe and they are making resin conversion parts for a military Ford of some kind. My friend sent Ford USA an e-mail and was told they could not use any ford badges/naming/ect. wheres his friend who lives in Europe emailed Ford HQ in Europe and they said that they were just fine with it and even offered to give him scans of pictures from their archive. Some people are just to uptight about things.

By the way, those decals look amazing

[1972coronet]

Typical College Boy mentality ... frat brats with mob mentality . They should live so long ...

[Quick GMC]

Ford is HORRIBLE with this type of stuff. on one of the Mustang forums a couple years back, some guys got together to make a calendar, comprised of pictures of their PERSONAL vehicles, then sold at a very reasonable cost to the forum members, to basically cover the cost. They were issued a cease and desist from Ford.

This is BS, oil execs should all die in a car accident. I bet we're making a huge dent in their revenue, huh.

[Brett Barrow]

With the kind of profits oil companies make, you'd think something as relatively nickel-and-dime as a decal licensing agreement wouldn't even register on their radar.

More likely they stopped it because it is nickle-and-dime. I've mentioned it before, that most of the large companies don't even handle their own licensing, or even make any money off of it, very often they're actually paying a licensing firm to handle it for them. No large company treats licensing as a profit generator, it's an inconvenience for them, too. But they have to protect their trademarks or risk losing them to the public domain, where everyone - including competitors and counterfeiters - could use them at will. Like Cheeseburger Eddie says, "You gotta always protect the McNuggets™©2010-2013 McDonald's. All Rights Reserved"

Edited May 16, 2013 by Brett Barrow

[Joe Handley]

With the kind of profits oil companies make, you'd think something as relatively nickel-and-dime as a decal licensing agreement wouldn't even register on their radar.

No kidding Harry, my Chrysler is running E85 right now (the spread is enough to be cheaper vs pump regular let alone premium) and the Jeep has been parked since the flood waters mostly went away. I was on an E85 users forum in the last hour and Minnesota has just jumped in price to about where we are right now. I think Dan (He's the owner of that site) said it went from $3.95 to $4.19 for regular almost overnight, supposedly due to a couple refineries closing down for "maintenance" at the same time in Michigan

For reference, I paid $3.29 for E85 from Woodman's today and around the part of Minnesota Dan lives in was around $3.04 a gallon. I was in Iowa over the weekend and E85 was a match for Minnesota while gas was $3.59 for their version of regular (89 octane with 10% ethanol) and $3.79 for their Premium (91 octane).

Edited May 16, 2013 by Joe Handley

[kalbert]

Yea companies don't see this kind of stuff as free advertising or small potatoes fun 'n games. They see it as you generating revenue from their brand identity and public image, and don't want to get involved with perceived endorsement of the product/service you have created with their image. They simply can't afford to manage and monitor every single thing that has their logo on it, so instead they regulate who can print their logo and make it available to others. Just like UPS brown, CAT yellow, Coke red, Petty blue. Easier to regulate the paint production than to monitor what it's used for.

[Eshaver]

Folks , some of ya'all really NEED to visit Primarily Petrolina @oldgas.com . I say that because of ALL THE FAKE Stuff being foisted upon us on Evilist Bay . Every day , I see another report of some Argentinian sign being run out and then sold as a "Genuine " Authentic original piece . I don't see Exxon- Mobil shutting them down . Besides , I see White Eagle stuff more an more , MOST OF IT'S FAKE too ! Oh I guess for the uninformed , White eagle was a Mobil oil subsidiary years ago . So was General petroleum . I've spotted several "Fake " General signs at swap meets . So far no one from either Mobil , Exxon - Mobil or a law office has seen fit to shut one of them down .

Hey, not wanting to start problems here , but as long as someone has the ability to silk screen something or use a computer, I see a career of re producing ANYTHING Mobil, Exxon General , White Star , and Lubrite !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[kalbert]

Folks , some of ya'all really NEED to visit Primarily Petrolina @oldgas.com . I say that because of ALL THE FAKE Stuff being foisted upon us on Evilist Bay . Every day , I see another report of some Argentinian sign being run out and then sold as a "Genuine " Authentic original piece . I don't see Exxon- Mobil shutting them down . Besides , I see White Eagle stuff more an more , MOST OF IT'S FAKE too ! Oh I guess for the uninformed , White eagle was a Mobil oil subsidiary years ago . So was General petroleum . I've spotted several "Fake " General signs at swap meets . So far no one from either Mobil , Exxon - Mobil or a law office has seen fit to shut one of them down .

Hey, not wanting to start problems here , but as long as someone has the ability to silk screen something or use a computer, I see a career of re producing ANYTHING Mobil, Exxon General , White Star , and Lubrite !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'd guess that either the people producing the 'fakes' A: have a license agreement and paid whatever outragous royalty or fee Mobile demanded that MicroScale figured was not worth the effort or B: are scofflaws or in regions where US laws have no significance making it difficult for Mobil to catch them. Rest assured they are surely trying. Additionally there's a big difference between "fakes" that are licensed reproductions with no real historical or collector value, and illegitimate "fakes" made without consent. I'd think anyone copying Mobile trade marks in a region where Mobil has legal protections for them would be shut down pretty quickly if they didn't have Mobil's consent.

Edited May 16, 2013 by kalbert

[charlie8575]

If I was Microscale, I'd seriously be looking at a restraint-of-trade suit.

I fully understand and appreciate the desire and need to protect your name, images, etc. I have no problem with that.

What I do have a problem with is overzealous twits like Skip's "young law clerk" who either need something to do, or remind us that their companies or organizations (or possibly themselves) are less-than-pleasant-parts of the anatomy to deal with!

Frankly, given some of the practices of some companies, like PACCAR, Caterpillar, Goodyear, and now it appears Exxon-Mobil, perhaps the toy and hobby trade association and we, as consumers, could get some kind of class-action citing restraint of trade, practices resulting in inferior products (e.g.: tires without branding), csnsorship in violation of the First Amendment (remember Cat with the boards?). The point being that they've acted in a cartel-like manner to artificially inflate and make more expensive, hobby products for us all and then we end up with lesser products.

Just wondering out loud and expressing great frustration with so much stupidity running the world and the monumental concentration of it in corporate circles.

Charlie Larkin

Edit: Removed reference to Firestone, which was made in error.

Edited May 17, 2013 by charlie8575

[kalbert]

I don't think so, Microscale could spend years and thousands pursuing something like that for not much return.

My guess is their contract probably expired, Mobile said new contracts have some terms that Microscale wasn't crazy about, looked at how many Mobile products they actually have in their catalog and how well they sell vs whatever the new agreement would be and said nah, just forget it then. For all we know Mobil cut a deal with someone else to sell their brand on decals and their contract has exclusive rights defined in it.

Remember, to us they may be "just models" but to them it's business.

[sjordan2]

I don't think so, Microscale could spend years and thousands pursuing something like that for not much return.

My guess is their contract probably expired, Mobile said new contracts have some terms that Microscale wasn't crazy about, looked at how many Mobile products they actually have in their catalog and how well they sell vs whatever the new agreement would be and said nah, just forget it then. For all we know Mobil cut a deal with someone else to sell their brand on decals and their contract has exclusive rights defined in it.

Remember, to us they may be "just models" but to them it's business.

No guessing necessary. See their announcement in post #1 -- given without explanation of why they were dropped, or why they chose not to try to renew it. Probably was too expensive.

[Harry P.]

Charlie, as a fellow modeler, I totally get your frustration... but the day that a small-time model car decal manufacturer goes toe-to-toe legally with a big oil company is the day that pigs fly.

The good news is, nobody can stop any of us from making decals for our own personal use, using any images or logos that we want to use.

[Eshaver]

Charlie, as a fellow modeler, I totally get your frustration... but the day that a small-time model car decal manufacturer goes toe-to-toe legally with a big oil company is the day that pigs fly.

The good news is, nobody can stop any of us from making decals for our own personal use, using any images or logos that we want to use.

My point is finally made, THANK YOU !

[Art Anderson]

No guessing necessary. See their announcement in post #1 -- given without explanation of why they were dropped, or why they chose not to try to renew it. Probably was too expensive.

Also worth considering: MicroScale is first and foremost a model railroad decal company. Their Socony-Mobil gas station logo's are part of a series of decals Microscale has done for commercial buildings in scale--and I've been given to understand that those decals don't really sell all that well.

Art

[Eshaver]

Also worth considering: MicroScale is first and foremost a model railroad decal company. Their Socony-Mobil gas station logo's are part of a series of decals Microscale has done for commercial buildings in scale--and I've been given to understand that those decals don't really sell all that well.

Art

Hummmmmmmmmm, that makes sense !

[kalbert]

Also worth considering: MicroScale is first and foremost a model railroad decal company. Their Socony-Mobil gas station logo's are part of a series of decals Microscale has done for commercial buildings in scale--and I've been given to understand that those decals don't really sell all that well.

Art

The model railroad community is lamenting the loss of the Mobil decals more than we are over here. Those decals are just about the most popular signage for a gas station on a layout set in the most popular time and place to model.

Edited May 20, 2013 by kalbert