Link to Article: UP Licensing of Logo

[wallyworld]

Link to article where a shareholder and model railroader speaks up at meeting.

http://www.sltrib.com/2004/Apr/04172004/utah/157952.asp

[Big_Boy_4005]

This was a very hot issue over on MR, and slightly less so over on Trains Magazine a couple of months ago. I don't agree with the policy at all, and I don't even seriously model UP.

The article was interesting, but if UP gets away with this decision to suddenly "stick it " to modelers, after as long as they have been around, the others will follow. This will only mean higher prices for all trains.

Some of the HO guys are saying they are already paying higher prices for UP models. If you read the article UP claims it will only amount to $3 per $100, but is that wholesale or retail. UP slaps their tax on the manufacturer, but every step up the line it grows.

Disgusting!!! Or am I just living in the dark ages and suffering from STICKER SHOCK??

[wallyworld]

There seems to be a theme floating around in the posts as of late, whether the subject is Rich Melvin charging $18 for forum access, UP charging $3 a pop for its logo or Mike Wolf litigating the known universe for patent rights. Maybe it’s the Age of Trump or Greed or just the sensitivity toward increasing costs everywhere in a cash grab fest made more difficult to support in a weakened economy.

[spankybird]

Hi All,

I may be wrong on this, but as I recall, way back when Lionel first modeled the Santa Fe, was it not the Santa Fe that paid Lionel for the advertising.

tom

[wallyworld]

Spankybird,
Your'e right...it was considered a good advertising ploy-I think it still is. Whats really galling is UPalso charging for logos once used by now defunct roads like CN&W as well.

[FJ and G]

A couple of points:

--It is interesting that other railroads have not followed UP's lead; not yet anyway.

--To pay royalties for UP's predecessor railroads is highway robbery; actually, train robbery

--UP could have garnered positive publicity by turning this negative into a positive, for example, putting the royalty fees into a fund to support their steam program or reopen the Royal Gorge route

--I notice that some model train makers are charging higher prices for UP trains and others are simply rolling the fees into higher prices for all road models. The former policy seems much fairer than the latter.

--If UP spent as much time running their railroad as they do monitoring websites and other localities for royalty fee violations, they could become an even better railroad.

dav