For freedom of choice. Against Fender’s radical action against S-style guitars.

We are not buying new Fender products while Fender targets independent S-style builders.

This is not only about guitarists, but above all retailers, music retail staff, luthiers and independent builders – whose livelihoods are threatened by this approach.

Fender Musical Instruments Corporation is relying on a Düsseldorf Regional Court ruling concerning the Stratocaster body shape to take action against makers and retailers of S-style guitars. According to various reports, specific cease-and-desist letters are said to demand, among other things, a sales stop as well as the recall and destruction of instruments already in the EU.

Sign the pledge Check facts and sources

— Supporters and growing every day

— Countries united worldwide

— New entries (7 days) thank you for your support

The starting point is a Düsseldorf Regional Court ruling against Yiwu Philharmonic Musical Instruments Co., a China-based seller whose guitars were offered through AliExpress, including shipment into Germany. Fender and Bird & Bird present the ruling as protection for the Stratocaster body shape under German and EU copyright law. Several media outlets now report cease-and-desist letters sent to S-style builders and retailers.

Why this initiative?

Fender Musical Instruments Corporation is reportedly applying legal pressure to independent S-style builders and retailers. Your pledge documents a public purchasing decision against that strategy – for diversity, craft and fair markets.

Supporters

Sign the pledge

Your entry will only appear publicly after email confirmation (double opt-in).

Name or artist name *

Email *

City *

Country *

Company, retailer or organisation (optional)

Comment (optional)0/500

Display my name anonymously

I pledge not to buy new products from Fender Musical Instruments Corporation and the Fender/FMIC portfolio until Fender ends this legal strategy against S-style builders and retailers. *

I agree to the storage of my data according to the privacy policy. *

Your data is safe. We do not share it.

Facts and sources

Sections 1–3: verified facts and reported demands (with sources). Section 4: our assessment and purchasing decision.

Source note: Not all cease-and-desist letters have been published in full. For that reason, this website describes demands from such letters only as reported demands and links to the relevant source. Claims about handing over customer addresses or customer data are not included unless a reliable source is available.

1. The ruling

Fender Musical Instruments Corporation obtained a ruling from the Regional Court of Düsseldorf concerning the Stratocaster body shape. Bird & Bird describes the decision as confirming that the Stratocaster body design can qualify as a copyrighted work of applied art under German and EU copyright law. The ruling is said to create enforceable rights against guitars using the Stratocaster body shape that are manufactured, sold or distributed into Germany or the EU.

Sources:

2. Why the ruling is controversial

Legal and journalistic commentary describes the original case not as a broad industry dispute against an established manufacturer, but as a case against a China-based AliExpress seller. The defendant reportedly did not appear or did not actively contest the case. For that reason, the ruling should not be presented as if the entire S-style question had already been settled in a fully contested industry case.

Sources:

3. What Fender reportedly demands

Several media outlets report that Fender has sent cease-and-desist letters to S-style builders, including LsL Instruments. MusicRadar quotes LsL’s account that the demand was to stop making and selling S-style guitars. Guitar World also reports, citing Phil McKnight, who says he was given copies from different sources, that the letter demands the recall of guitars already sold in the EU and their destruction. These points must be labelled as reported demands unless the site publishes the complete official letter text.

Sources:

4. Our response

We respond with a public purchasing decision. By signing this pledge, supporters state that they will not buy new products from Fender Musical Instruments Corporation and the Fender/FMIC portfolio until further notice. This initiative is not directed against musicians, retail employees or people who already own Fender instruments. It is directed against a legal strategy that we believe harms guitar diversity, independent builders and fair markets.

View all facts and sources

Frequently asked questions

Why do you name Fender explicitly?

Because Fender Musical Instruments Corporation is the subject of this public criticism and purchasing decision. The brand is not used as a logo or site branding, but to identify the company concerned.

Do you claim Fender wants all S-style guitars destroyed?

No. We do not write that Fender wants to have all non-Fender S-style guitars destroyed worldwide. We refer to media reports that specific cease-and-desist letters reportedly demand, among other things, a sales stop as well as the recall and destruction of instruments already in the EU.

Why is there nothing here about customer data or addresses?

Because we do not currently have a sufficiently reliable source for that in this project. This site should only include claims that are evidenced or clearly labelled as opinion.

How can I remove my entry?

Via the deletion link in the confirmation email or via the contact form.

View all questions