Fake DMC’s response to not being part of the DeLorean Community
This is copy/pasted from post #78 on the DMCTalk thread “Delorean Motor Company (DMC) Texas threatening to sue Delorean owners now” “SonnyV” / james espy speaks for Fake DMC frequently… although updated this post after the fact to say that, in THIS case, his opinions AREN’T Fake DMC’s opinions… in THIS case. Unless you have/had an account on DMCTalk.org, you won’t get/understand the depth of frustration and disappointment DeLorean owners have with Fake DMC. You’ll just have to ask around – hopefully on social media. Ask a lot. Lots of things going on in this thread across a wide swath of history. The ones who were there when it happened got it mostly right, lots of the others got it varying degrees of wrong. I’m sure the same will be said about what I am about to write. George Carlin, I think, said “where you stand on an issue depends on where you sit” – that seems to fit here, too. Let me start by saying I stepped away from DMCtalk and social media for a good couple years because it was such a time suck, and I/DMC had more pressing matters at hand. Still do, but knowing what’s going to happen in the very near future – related to the recent changes on our site – and the analytics that say where visitors are coming from, prompted me to come here and find this thread. The C&D’s were sent out without my direct knowledge, so I can’t say exactly why, but many people here are on the mark when it comes to defending a trademark. Was it done with too broad of a stroke? Not for me to say – I am not an IP lawyer,and neither, I think, is anyone else here. Yes, the whole SonnyV thing was a mistake I made nearly 20 years ago. I’ve apologized, learned from that mistake and I don’t know what else I can do…if you want a personal apology and hear my version of events, call me or see me at the next DeLorean event. In any case, please know that I realized I fucked up and I’m sorry that I did it. I understand why people got upset about it. I understand that I let people down. I have tried in the ensuing years to give back to the DeLorean community in any way I can via other good works wherever I can. The DMCnews.com site is not controlled by DMCH nor was it shutdown at SW’s request.. I was able to re-acquire it personally a couple years ago – but never got a full and complete backup of the site. I had hopes of having time to rebuild the data, move it to a different, modern platform, but never have had time. I am supportive of the other DML archives. DMC/DMCH is in a good financial position – all locations are loaded up with cars for sale, cars to be serviced and the new online store is benefiting all dealers as we give them the orders from their region that they can fill, to further reduce shipping times to customers. That said, Florida does not handle any of the web orders placed by customers in their region – if you want them to, reach out to Tony and Robert! Also, with regards to the store, I hope people are enjoying the larger and 360 photos. We do it all in house, so it’s going slower than I’d like. On that subject, we’re hiring in just about all areas for in-person positions here at DMCH. Come work here and see for yourself what it takes to keep this going! Company paid medical, dental, vision, HSA/HSA, paid holidays/vacation, 401k and more! Parts availability is very good with new parts coming though keeping stock on the shelf has been a challenge with longer lead times and shortages from assorted suppliers in the US and abroad. We’ve not had a wide-ranging price increase in more than five years, preferring to raise prices where deemed required due to supplier price increases to us.. That will likely have to change this year. Costs are going up left and right on everything for everyone as we all know – fuel, utilities, wages, benefits, etc. DMC is not an exception. As far as new cars go, yes, we’ve often spoken before we should have. The Pontiac Solstice thing was likely the first, most public, misstep. And it actually started as the Saturn Sky. We had been approached by a company (AMP Motors) that had been building some battery powered Skys (https://uncrate.com/the-amp/) and was making a play for the GM plant where the Sky and Solstice were built when GM shut down Pontiac and Saturn as they filed for bankruptcy. They knew they couldn’t use the Pontiac brand and Roger Penske was making a play (that also fizzled out) for Saturn. AMP reached out to us about licensing the DeLorean brand for their planned continuation cars, using the thread of a DeLorean/Pontiac connection as the tie-in. In the early days of the Obama administration, a top donor to their campaign (and Fisker investor) called in a favor to Biden (connected to Delaware, where the Sky/Solstice plant was located) and AMP lost out to Fisker. You can read on your own how that ended. Spoiler alert: Fisker never built anything there and the plant was demolished a few years ago. The EV that we showed at the 2012 New York Auto Show and our 2011 Open House was built by an ex-Aptera guy who started a battery company and also had a company that made electric ski boats nearby in Louisana as he was (and still is) a composites whiz. We made a deal to buy it from him as part of a plan to work with him to build more. Neither of us were capitalized for it and the EV thing in 2012 was far different than it is today. As an aside, he made a couple
Society6 Fail
by Dave Tavres The Society6 website says that I am not allowed to use the name of the classic car that I own – DeLorean – when selling MY photos of MY car. That’s right… when trying to use the name “DeLorean” in the title (or tag, or description) of a product I want to sell on their site, they return this message: “We were not able to accept your title/tag/description submission, as it appeared to contain distinctive words that may belong to another rights holder. If you believe you have received this message in error, please contact Member Support.” Like many other DeLorean owners, I love taking cool photos of MY DeLorean. And also like other owners, I’m always looking for cool places to get amazing photos of MY DeLorean, with the hope of one turning out totally awesome, so I can sell it, or have it used somewhere as I – the content creator / artist – sees fit. But, Society6 doesn’t seem to agree that an artist has the right to sell their own photos of their property. Now, as of the writing of this article, you can NOT use names like “Mercedes” or “Ford”, but I can see that making sense, as those companies still exist, and are currently making new products. However, the DeLorean Motor Company went out of business in 1983. The DeLorean car that they invented and built, will never be built again. We, the owners of these cars, are the protectors and keepers of the approximately 4,500 left in the world, out of the 9,080 that were built. As it happens, a company in Texas named “DeLorean Motor Company Texas”, did buy the remaining parts left over from the original factory in 1997 – for less than $1 million dollars. Since then, they have proceeded to bully and attempt to scare people into submission, by pretending to be the original DeLorean Motor Company (despite their own admission on their website under the question “Are you ‘THE’ DeLorean Motor Company?” – they answer “We have no connection to John DeLorean, the DeLorean estate or the original DeLorean Motor Company. DeLorean Motor Company Texas is a privately held corporation based in Humble, Texas.”) And to top it all off, they have repeatedly shown their disdain for the actual owners of the remaining DeLoreans out there. So, using the name of MY car, that I own – and the name of a product that is no longer made by an existing company – should be allowed… just as you can use the name “Bricklin” and others on Society6. (Bricklin is another defunct car company.) It’s most likely that intimidation by the fake DMC (DeLorean Motor Company Texas) has caused Society6 to block us owners from profiting from our own property. We’ll see how Society6 responds to the message I sent them disputing their choice to block me from using the name “DeLorean”. Update from Society6: This was the last email they sent me: From: Tristan (Society6) Date: Jun 21, 2021, 18:19 PDT Hello Dave, We recommend that you research the relevant copyright laws and other laws pertaining to intellectual property and their application to your work on the Internet, or consult legal counsel if you are unsure about them. We also suggest that you review Society6’s Terms of Service http://society6.com/terms with respect to our Content, Copyright & Intellectual Property Rights Policies to ensure that you are in compliance at all times. The word “DeLorean” will not be unblocked at this time. Warmly, Tristan Artist Community Success Associate
The DeLorean office in Coventry
by Enda Mullen-BPCoventry Live – November 29, 2019 Look: Coventry connection with Back to the Future iconic sports car by Steve ChiltonCoventry Live – October 21, 2015 It is the world’s most famous time machine with its trademark gullwing doors atop a stainless steel-clad body. The DeLorean DMC-12 sports car is instantly recognisable to even the most clueless car enthusiast after becoming the iconic star of the Back to the Future movie trilogy. And now its creators are gearing up to celebrate a milestone anniversary for one of the best loved cars of all time – which is one of Coventry’s lesser known motoring success stories. This year will marks the 35th anniversary of the construction and first public showing of the production version of the vehicle in 1980 – the ‘Visioneering Show Car’. But what many people don’t realise is that the star of the science fiction comedy which transported Marty McFly back to 1955 life in the fictional California town Hill Valley has strong Coventry connections. The Belfast company’s British headquarters and procurement office was based in Christchurch House in Coventry city centre from 1979 to 1982. Staff were hired to set up new supply deals in the UK and the DeLorean even underwent endurance testing at the city’s head office. And next year the remarkable creation of John Zachary DeLorean will be celebrated with a reunion of former employees based in Northern Ireland and Coventry. Organised by the firm’s previous director of purchasing, Barrie Wills and financial controller David Adams, the reunion has been arranged for next year’s May Bank Holiday weekend at The Culloden Hotel at Cultra, near Holywood, County Down. Mr Wills said: “We are hoping that staff and shopfloor workers alike from Dunmurry, Coventry and the Adelaide Industrial Estate plant of CP Trim will attend the reunion. “We have also arranged a conducted tour on Tuesday 5 May of part of the former Dunmurry plant, now utilised by the French automotive foundry group, Montupet.” The story of the iconic car started in April 1973 when John left General Motors where he was vice president of car and truck production, to follow his dream of creating his own company and building a car that GM would never make. With help from Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro, who worked on the new car’s styling, and Lotus Cars, which undertook the engineering of the car, the first running prototype was quickly completed. Its groundbreaking technology took the media by storm and the company set up a greenfield production site in Dunmurry, near Belfast, before John then focused on the UK and opened the Coventry headquarters. When the DeLorean rolled off production lines it received promising reviews but when the recession hit, the expected sales failed to materialise and unsold vehicles started to mount up. In February 1982, the receivers were called in and a rescue bid was devised. However when the FBI arrested John in a Los Angeles hotel room for ‘narcotics violations’ the DeLorean dream ended. Despite its brief time in the city, the two former company executives believe the anniversary is a good reason for a long-overdue reunion of its former employees. Those interested in attending the reunion should contact barriewills42@gmail.com for more information.
DeLorean Owners Manual Disambiguation
by Chris Miles Did you get an owners manual with your DeLorean when you bought it? Did you know the owners manual is unique to the model year? There are actually three different versions of the owner’s manual (or Handbook). For 1981 models, DMC called it the “Owners Manual.” For the 1982 and 1983 model years, they called it the “Owners Handbook”, even though they all contained the same information. All 1981 model cars were supposed to ship with spiral bound owners manual. It featured black and white photographs documenting various parts of the car. The manual came in a pouch style valet case along with other documentation. When the 1982 cars rolled out, DMC had “cheapened” the manual by going to the booklet format, with simple line drawings, and calling it the “owner’s handbook”. It had a black cover with a graphic of the car and had beige accented pages. It came in a padded gatefold style valet case. These are reportedly harder to find as they did not produce as many. For the 1983 cars, there was a further simplification of the handbook. Now, there was no black outer cover and all pages were black and white. The next time you’re in your glove box, go check to see what version of the owners manual/handbook you have. If you don’t have one, DMC now offers a reproduction 1982/1983 style owners manual with a 1981 style valet case – or you can watch eBay for the original DeLorean owners manuals. All three types usually come up for sale. The spiral bound versions usually command a high price these days. Then there’s always the digital versions available around the web. 1981 1982 1983