A second jury has ruled against Dean Guitars in Gibson's trademark infringement case, finding Dean's parent company Armadillo guilty of infringing on multiple Gibson guitar designs. However, the verdict includes some significant caveats.

Key Findings:

• Armadillo intentionally infringed on Gibson's V, Explorer, and SG body shape trademarks and Hummingbird wordmark
• The jury determined Gibson's ES body shape trademark is generic and should be cancelled
• Unlike the 2022 verdict, Armadillo was found not to infringe on the Dove Wing headstock but did infringe on the Flying V wordmark
• Armadillo was found guilty of selling counterfeits of Gibson's designs and wordmarks

Significant Limitation: The jury ruled that Gibson should have acted sooner, noting they should have known about Dean's use of Explorer and Flying V marks since 1976-1977. This "undue prejudice" significantly reduces potential damages.

Previous Ruling Impact: The 2022 verdict resulted in:

• Dean ordered to cease marketing and selling infringing products
• $4,000 in damages
• $160,000 in Gibson's legal fees

Gibson maintains the case was about protecting their legacy and intellectual property rather than financial compensation. The final judgment for this recent verdict is still pending.

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