As of June 22, 2026, Thomann, the largest music retailer in Europe has filed legal action against Fender over the cease and desist letters Fender's been sending guitar builders and dealers. To my knowledge, a retailer this size has never gone after the biggest guitar maker in the world like this.
I'm not a lawyer, and none of this is legal advice.
Read Thomann's blog post for yourself here: https://www.thomann.de/blog/en/inside/thomann-takes-legal-action-against-fender/?offid=1&affid=195&subid=guitarworld-us-3215484279923951972
Let me know what you think in the comments, or come argue about it with us in the Discord: https://discord.gg/dCBwHafACa
If you want to support the channel, Fretboard Fundamentals ULTIMATE is on sale right now: https://rhettshullguitarcourses.com/p/ff-ultimate?coupon_code=YT52&product_id=5977054
CHAPTERS
0:00 – Thomann just sued Fender
0:56 – What a "declaratory judgment" actually is
5:27 – Even if Fender wins, it only counts in Germany
7:48 – Leo Fender didn't design the Strat alone
8:22 – The Supreme Court already settled this (Star Athletica)
11:19 – What Fender needs to do now
11:45 – Why I'm done playing my Fenders
14:23 – Final thoughts