It looks like Tom Oberheim will indeed get the Oberheim name back. The chain of events are a bit randomn, like a "sample n hold" actually...
I beleive Music Tribe filed for the Oberheim logo and trademarks back in December of 2016 after they expired. Gibson previously owned them, buy then turned them over to Wells Fargo prior to this, according to details in
this previous post. What's odd is Gibson then "returned" the name back to
Tom Oberheim in 2019 AFTER Music Tribe filed for it. Shortly after Behringer
won the trademark back. Two years later it now goes back to Tom.
(pic above via
Amazona.de) via the
USPTO: "Registration is refused because the applied-for mark consists of or includes matter that may falsely suggest a connection with Tom Oberheim. Trademark Act Section 2(a), 15 U.S.C. §1052(a). Although the person is not connected with the goods provided by applicant under the applied-for mark, Tom Oberheim is so well-known that consumers would presume a connection."
They also apologize for the sample n hold loop: "The trademark examining attorney apologizes for any inconvenience caused by the delay in raising this issue(s)."
What's interesting, unless I'm reading it wrong, is the trademark appeared to have been for BEHRINGER OBERHEIM rather than just OBERHEIM?
Note this just means Behringer can't take over the Oberheim brand name. He can still come out with the
Behringer UB-Xa branded OB-Xa.
