When is a Steinway still a Steinway

[Farrell]

So who is it Steinway would sue if a new "Steinway" were sold with a Kelly plate, a Renner action, Kluge keys, and Mapes bass strings?  

Terry Farrell

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bill Ballard" <yardbird@pop.vermontel.net>
To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Sunday, November 17, 2002 10:57 PM
Subject: Re: When is a Steinway still a Steinway


> At 6:57 PM -0800 11/17/02, David Love wrote:
> >Several questions arise considering recent discussions
> >about patent infringements, though this takes a slightly
> >different angle.  At what point do changes breach any
> >tacit understandings/agreements about what can be done
> >to a piano and still call it that maker's piano?
> 
> I think Steinway may have answered that already, with its insistence 
> that if the parts in a Steinway pianos don't all come directly from 
> Steinway (NY), that the piano is not a Steinway. That's not nearly as 
> interesting a question as is yours, which is more qualitative. IOW, 
> what  amount of re-engineering would it be which would push the piano 
> outside of its lineage. Del doesn't seem to worry too much about it. 
> The purpose is to build a better piano, right?
> 
>