I wonder how Aero feels about this.

[Dinerman]

They're both reproductions of the same jacket contract. The "The Few" jacket is not a copy of a current aero offering, it is a reproduction of a WWII aero (NY) jacket- as is the Aero (Scotland) jacket of the same contract number. With the reputation that "the few" has, I can't imagine that they're trying to "fool" anyone with the Aero name.

 

[Aerojoe]

If it's registered as a TM, at least in the UK, that means it has been registered for use with certain products. If the item in question falls outside of their product grouping and is unlikely to cause buyer confusion, they have no say in it

This happens in my country too Probably in all EU. Your registration of "Aero" brand for producing cloths doesn't prevent that other company can use Aero for making planes, if no other business is using this name already. Plus registering a generic name like "Aero" is not that easy. You probably need too add a few more words to have your registration approved, like "Aero Clothing..." which doesn't prevent the registration of other brands with the very same starting word, "Aero Airlines" or "Aerojoe, fedora lounge post writing service".

The case of The Few, for me, is that Aero Scotland didn't register in Japan. If the Few were chinese, the simply wouldn't care about TM at all. There are a bunch of chinese producers making A2 jackets already.

 

[ButteMT61]

I have to admit I have not seen every contract from every maker of A2's, but I have never seen one with the bottom of the pocket stitching go from vertical to horizontal with a sharp corner like that jacket in the first post. They have usually been a small curve or a cropped corner at 45º.J

That would be legit. Look at the contract number.

 

[Fifty150]

Asian company ripping off a western product without licensing the rights? I have never heard of that happening before stop the presses

I'm in shock and awe.

 

[Edward]

This happens in my country too Probably in all EU. Your registration of "Aero" brand for producing cloths doesn't prevent that other company can use Aero for making planes, if no other business is using this name already. Plus registering a generic name like "Aero" is not that easy. You probably need too add a few more words to have your registration approved, like "Aero Clothing..." which doesn't prevent the registration of other brands with the very same starting word, "Aero Airlines" or "Aerojoe, fedora lounge post writing service".

The case of The Few, for me, is that Aero Scotland didn't register in Japan. If the Few were chinese, the simply wouldn't care about TM at all. There are a bunch of chinese producers making A2 jackets already.

That's about right. Things are changing in China, slowly.... the international community put a lot of pressure on the PRC with the Olympics in 2008 to sort themselves out re IP infringement. A lot depends on the region, too. In Beijing, it's not hard to find fake goods. In some areas you'll see lookey-likey products, but those trainers will be Spike, the watch Lorex. Still a violation of the design rights, but not an outright counterfeit. In Hong Kong these days you have to go out of your way to find fake goods. It moves and changes.

The market certainly is global now, but Trade Mark law has yet to catch up with that (even assuming enforceability).

 

[Otter]

Trademarks aside, the berry knits work for me, got one of those, but the stitching? Yuck.:eeek:

 

[rocketeer]

That would be legit. Look at the contract number.

Sorry old chap, contract numbers dont mean much to me, never have. I have a WWII Aero jacket, have had it nearly 30 years. I bought it because I liked the style, though when you inspect it there are lots of faults and differences, I have only ever owned 2 original jackets and yes they were very different.
I suppose I have seen a couple of hundred A2 jackets in my time but never one with that style pocket stitch. I do love the cropped corner style though.
I'l post a pic of mine when I find out how to do it, message keeps coming up 'Undefined' (whatever that means) when I try to upload it.
Seeya, Johnny

 

[DWStone]

Hi folks, I have a friend who works at Aero, and they are well aware of the jackets made by The Few which is owned by Real McCoys - they pay royalties to Aero on every jacket, and the labelling shows that these are made under licence.

Aero have also given permission for several independent firms such as Aero Leather Japan and Aero Leather USA to use their brand name, though both of these companies are actually independent of Aero Scotland - they're not part of the same company. As was mentioned previously in this post, they've also given permission to companies such a Morgan Cars UK, which aren't related to clothing.

I heard about the Eastman jackets a while back, Aero stopped Eastman using the name illegally because they didn't ask permission before starting making jackets with the Aero brand name and because they felt the Eastman quality was below the standard a customer would expect from Aero.

I also know that Levis Vintage, Evisu, Iron Heart, Nigel Cabourn, Paul Smith and Ace Cafe all have, or had permission to use the Aero registered brand name on their collaborations with Aero. I've noticed a bit of discussion about Aero and Sam Walker on various threads here too - Aero never actually made Sam Walker jackets. Sam Walker sold Aero jackets in their store, and they stopped when it transpired that Sam Walker were having Aero's designs made for them elsewhere. No jacket with a Sam Walker label was actually made by Aero.

DW

 

[Don Tomaso]

.... In Hong Kong these days you have to go out of your way to find fake goods. It moves and changes.
...

LOOOOL.

I sitting in my hotel-room in Kowloon as I write this and I can asure you that nothing has changed here in the past 5 years. You cannot go more than 20 meters without getting offers for "copy watch, copy handbag".
Faking is as old as mankind, but some hundred years ago, nobody thought it a bad thing as such, there was no copyright to speak of and copying was part of the progress. As long as buyers are looking at label and not at the quality this will stay as it is.

 

[Edward]

I heard about the Eastman jackets a while back, Aero stopped Eastman using the name illegally because they didn't ask permission before starting making jackets with the Aero brand name and because they felt the Eastman quality was below the standard a customer would expect from Aero.

If that wa ever the case, Eastman have come a long way since! I do think they serve two different markets, in the main, but I suppose on A2s and some other military jackets they are in direct competition.

LOOOOL.

I sitting in my hotel-room in Kowloon as I write this and I can asure you that nothing has changed here in the past 5 years. You cannot go more than 20 meters without getting offers for "copy watch, copy handbag".

Sure, but what I mean is it's all down an alley, under the counter stuff with those guys - it's not brazenly, openly on sale the way this stuff is in Beijing or some other parts of the mainland.

BTW, how are you enjoying Kowloon? I found it quite surreal..... quite Blade Runner.... so alien in one respect, yet so familiar in others.

 

[Don Tomaso]

...
BTW, how are you enjoying Kowloon? I found it quite surreal..... quite Blade Runner.... so alien in one respect, yet so familiar in others.

Oh, I quite like it, used to live here some years ago and now we're back for the HK 7s.