mosriteforum.com

I wasn't sure whether to put this under Mosrite guitars or the Clones section so I'll ask the moderators to place it where it best suits the question.
I have never heard or read anywhere exactly what the agreement was that Semie made with the Japenese, or when that agreement took place. I have heard only that he gave his permission for them to use his name on the guitars. The pending lawsuit seems to mention key words like "Mosley" and "Vibramute" but I have not heard where they were allowed to produce the exact design of the guitar.
Again, I haven't heard many specifics, so can someone clarify this for me ?
Thanks in advance,
Don

Don -

I assume you are referring to the claims made in the Q&A section of this auction:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... TQ:US:1123
addressed in this thread:
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=1862

Now, strike that from your memory. It is of very little value and even less factual content.

The only official licensing agreement was struck in 1967 between Semie Moseley and Kazy Firstman (pseudonym), resulting in the Firstman Mosrite Avenger line. The minutiae and all is recorded at length here:
http://star.ap.teacup.com/firstman/

Beyond that things get a little cloudy (no pun intended), but I believe at some point Firstman contracted with Kurokumo to assist in production, and hence Kurokumo's historical claim to the Mosrite legacy.

Fillmore did indeed open its doors circa 1976, but merely as a guitar retail shop. Fillmore's first official relationship with Mosrite was circa 1992 when the Unified Sound Association began production of the 40th Anniversary model exclusively for Fillmore. When the US trademark lapsed, Fillmore filed a claim and the rest is history.

Wow, that's it in a nutshell; highly informative and interesting at the same time. Thanks for opening up that window Adam.

I too have found this matter to be rather puzzling -from the very start in my search for a Mosrite guitar.

I'm glad you asked LOSTVENTURE and we're fortunate in having dorkrockrecords sharing his knowlege here, as always.