2004 calendar
 

i would love to pull together a VKG 2004 calendar. but to do this we will obviously need some quality pics (and copyright ownership). these do not need to be whole car pics. i would love to see some creative use of angles and framing (i.e. slanted view of a rim with blue sky in the background, etc).

if you have anything, can get anything, or intend on getting something, let me know and let's see if we can do this. i think all pics will need to be in to me by 12/1 for me to work with them and have it ready prior to the new year.

let me know your thoughts and whether or not you think we can even pull this off since so many of our cars are still under construction. btw, there is no cost for me to set this up and have them available. cost is incurred as they are sold and the club only makes a few bucks per calendar.

it sounds like a good idea, but wont it give people a poor impression of the club if so many of the cars arent finished?

Re: 2004 calendar
 

Volkswagen has copyright of the "image of a bug" (that includes drawings). They'd come down on you hard for this. I know from personal experience... that's why my SBO! shirts and Topline's shirts no longer have a Super Beetle on them.

God Damn greedy Volkswagen!

Nick

I think they could only come down on you if you sell it. If they want to come down on a club for having pix of their cars on a calender for their members, I don't think they would get to far in court. VWOA sux.

Yea if you print them for "non-profit personal use" (give them out as freebie to your club members) then I don't think they would win the case in court if it went that far... and yes they do suck bad for doing this to us and funny thing is I hear/see WAY more of this in the aircooled community than the watercooled. I guess they fail to realize that the majority of aircooled owners still visit thier sales showrooms today.

good point superman. one that i forgot. but they can kiss my a$$. if they want to come after a group of 11 guys that are using a service to create calendars and selling it to their members at cost or with $2-$4 coming back to a non-profit club, i welcome the exposure. i will give them plenty through the rags and online. i am a BIG VW fan, both air and water. but they don't want to tick me off. besides, the worst that would happen is they tell us to stop and we stop.

I had that same thinking until I talked with Jon @ Topline and learned of the fine he had to pay (which I am not allowed to discuss). Needless to say they have nothing to loose and according to copyright laws if they don't come after the small group of 11 guys then they can't go after the big companies either (all or nothing). Take a look at our VW community, the fines Rocky Mountain Motorworks, Topline Parts, and countless others have had to pay. Look at the changes in use of the VW logo and font in the magazines. This has affected us all. Sorry buddy, this is one "big bully" that we must all submit to, like it or not.

If you'd like to punch back let your next new car be a BMW.

I'm glad Porsche hasn't turned their backs on their loyal customers. James I to have talked to my local shops and they were fined also. No offense to some on here but I would never own a 98 and newer VW( that's when I feel they lost site of the big picture and turned on us the hardcore enthusist's, that darn NEW beetle). I will continue to own and drive OG Volkswagen's but I do not have any love for the company. I just hope VW doesn't find out about my tattoo cause I for sure don't want to pay a lousy fine. Thanks for letting me vent I feel better now.

Nick
ACVW4LIFE

being a musician, i understand and respect the need to protect an image and brand. and we all know that there are plenty of shops that have used the image and do nothing but hurt the branding to the average consumer. VWoA makes no meaningful amount of money off of ACVW guys (only a small percentage are into the water-cooled VWs also) and therefore have very little concern over who they offend in this area. it may have an impact, but it is probably less of a hit than they take on shops giving them a bad name through poor service while using the brand.

i have no love of the company, but definitely do of the cars, old and new. their products have generally (and i mean generally) improved to very high levels over the past 10 years. i have had many and just sold a '96 jetta that we had for 6 years and i have nothing but praise for.

all that said, i have no problem giving authority the finger. :eek:

If only VWOA would give the same support to their "Old Iron" that other marks do. You see Ford, GM, and Mopar doing what they can(or not doing what hurts) to keep the old Iron going. Their logo's and images are see all over clubs, restoration parts suppliers, shows and swap meets. They take a different approach to it. To them the "Old Iron" is a rolling testiment to the brand itself, and it is. Gatherings draw attention to the brands.
All this seemed to start with the change in CEO's a few years back. It's VWOA not VW the mother company. This is not the only problem VWOA has now, I hear storries of poor service and support from new VW owners all the time.
I don't see the same treatment happening to Porsche clubs and the like. Same mother company. I say VW should cast the demon(CEO) out.

<-----Flying middle finger high in the air at VWOA.

it all starts with a movement. start the petitions rolling.

The petitions happened before all this went down. Anyone remember "Brock's VW Magazine" site? Truth is VW does not want to be associated with the old "cheap and simple" aircooled cars anymore. They want to up their image and sell in the same status as BMW, Jaguar, Mecedes, etc. It's all about $$$ in the future and they don't care about the past. In order to gain a higher status in the industry they took a big dump on us.

I completely agree with James. Isn't funny how VW doesn't want to be associated with us the "People's Car" owners, yet they have a vehicle based on the Golf chassis that visualy resembles a Beetle?
I'm giving VWoA the one finger salute and I'm giving VWag the salute also for allowing VWoA to pull these "hoe tactics"(I appologize to everyone that doesn't speak slang, that means they are being money grubbing whores).
This has been like a kick below the belt to me because my entire life has revolved around VW's products and now they have completely turned there back on us. On top of that they, VWoA, is ashamed of their past and is going out of there way to get rid of us, the aircooled crowd because we are bad for there image.

Nick

yah man, VW blows chunks :hurl: