Received an email last night late about lgboa changing name to Silvergate Distributors and moving theyre San Diego warehouse to another facility just a few miles away. There was also several Q&A included in the email. Believe anybody who had bought a product from them in last several months received the email. Posted this for the interested LGBoa fans out there. They will have a website up and running on june 1st according to them, and it will be www.silvergatedistributors.com. The Regal
Pony Express?
Hans-Joerg Mueller said:HJ,
:) :) Pony Express?
Were you just guessing? Minatare was on the old Pony route! 
Jack
You gotta know your Pony Express routes.
And I thought that this was a Lrage Scale TRAINS site??? I believe that the Pony Express use hay burners to move the mail, but come to think of it, it is not a lot faster now! It will be interesting to see what developes form this move by LGBofA. Only time will tell if they can produce the neccessary repair parts to keep our LGB equipment running.
Paul
E. Paul Austin said:
And I thought that this was a Lrage Scale TRAINS site??? I believe that the Pony Express use hay burners to move the mail, but come to think of it, it is not a lot faster now! It will be interesting to see what developes form this move by LGBofA. Only time will tell if they can produce the neccessary repair parts to keep our LGB equipment running.Paul
Paul,
Why do you think LGBoA will produce repair parts for LGB products? LGB®Märklin has the tooling for that, the only question remaining: distribution channel for LGB®Märklin in NA. The rest is crystal clear.
On that Pony Express route, didn’t they have a run-off once the trains started running? And for those who need yet one more train. You never have enough or too many trains, right eh??!
Hans; Try TOO many as in more than I can run at one time! So I am trying to sell a few. Paul
On MyLS, Jack Lynch, management of LGBof America, reports:
1 - "Lgb of America still exists
2 - "LGB of America still retains distribution rights for product and packaged with the “LGB” name.
3 - "However, there is no agreement for purchase of product at this time with the manufacturer of LGB (Maerklin)
4 - “There is always hope the distribution of LGB can resume but we do not expect it to happen in 2008.”
MY ANALYSIS:
1 - The existence of LGB of America" remains at the discression of the San Diego company - not Maerklin?
2 - Are the remaining “starter sets” what is being distributed? Does the San Diego company combine remaining rolling stock and locos, have boxes printed with the LGB logo, and then market them via their current web site? A quick search of the LGB of America site shows graphically at least seven starter set packages with power packs. All can be ordered directly from San Diego.
AND…
If the distribution rights are retained by LGB of America for products with the “LGB” logo, is not Maerklin now screwed legally out of using the LGB logo as we now know it? Will Maerklin now have to pay for the use of a logo they supposedly purchased when buying LGB? Imagine, GE selling itself and the stockholders going crazy knowing the new owners didn’t get the logo with the purchase. Bye-Bye stock value! Jack Welch(former CEO) would go nuts.
3 - If Jack Lynch is accurate, and there is no agreement to purchase product from Germany, can not LGB of America purchase product from current “LGB” Chinese manufacturers [they have the dies, right!] under their fake trademark protection policies armed with the excuse this is “LGB of America” making the purchase order? LGB of America then keeps the logo, does not rely on the German corporation for product, boxes the product with “their” [amazing!] LGB logo, and sells on-line and phone orders from their new address.
4 - Wait! “If there is hope distribution of LGB can resume”, then what are the current starter sets shown on the LGB of America website? They are being advertised and directions are given on how to order, is this not distribution? Clearly, the products are advertised as LGB. Look at the pictures. Anyone with headwaiter mentality can judge that the distribution is going on – obviously with no cease nor desist order to stop – and what is to stop the product line from increasing IF, I say “IF!” LGB of America does own the distribution rights and the logo LGB? Can not LGB of America, now an arm of a “new” company, just keep on bringing out LGB products and selling them under full copyright and legal ownership protection?
CONCLUSION:
The singular unaswered question what did Maerklin REALLY buy and what did LGB of America refuse to sell that the investment bankers agreed was NOT for sale.
My debate class discussions continue to end with the incomplete.
Maybe the ONLY person on the planet who can answer those two questions is Jack Lynch.
I hope so.
P.S. Please offer any further information vs. shifting to another topic.
Thanks.
Wendell
Wendell,
Don’t sweat it, from some of Jack’s missives I read I would gather he has problems getting simple stuff straight, never mind some of the more complicated stuff like which rights apply where. Just remember Castellano’s Feb 2007 press release, lots of claims; anyone seen any proof of any of the claims?
That together with the “we will produce our own” has me smile. Let’s just wait and see what they do with the Hillman Railclamps purchase. 
OH yeah, on that production scenario; in order to produce you have two choices. You can do all of it in house or you can farm it out. The catch is: it takes money. The second catch: news of unpaid bills travels really fast in the industry.
Wendell,
look at this from a non-emotional viewpoint. If LGBoA still retained the distribution rights to the name, then how is it that America is basically the only country to not able to have the product. It seems that the popular LGB countries have had no problem negotiating a distribution agreement with Marklin.
Secondly, LGBoA supposedly only had worldwide distribution rights (outside of Germany). This is not a right to produce the brandname, only to market it. LGBoA and its predecessor, REA Distributors, did actually repackage LGB products and market them under the LGB brandname. This would have been under licence to LGB (EPL). Under the current situation, it is hardly likely that Marklin would allow LGBoA to repackage ex-LGB items and use the LGB brandname, as this would infringe copyright restrictions. There is a big difference between distributing goods and marketting goods under another company's brandname. LGBoA simply do not have the legal right to attach the LGB brandname to repackaged goods. This would be a copyright infringement.
Thirdly, is it not unusual that as Marklin ramps up production, that the registered name, LGBoA, is allowed to slide into obscurity. It is LGBoA that supposedly had distribution rights to the brandname, not Silvergate Distributors. LGBoA is being sacrificed and allowed to fade away (along with any claim as to ownership of any rights). If LGBoA really believed that they had rights, then in a litigous country like America, would not lawyers sue for the rights of the company. Of course any legal action, would require a thorough investigation into how the rights were actually obtained. An old saying, "Let sleeping dogs lie."From some earlier sign-up somewheres {as i haven’t purchased a registerable (?) LGB item in like 6yrs} . . . I received that email a couple days back !
i posted on the g-scale group thta same day … who is the marketing/sales head honcho at Silvergate aka LGBoA ? the last time i chkd no one knew or cared to share a name within the org. !
j. lynch may do the trick.
doug c
My speculative 4c…
LGBoA and Marklin have done a deal to sell LGBoA Inc back to Marklin.
There are only 4 reasons in my mind why LGBoA would start up a duplicate corporate structure:-
1 Isolate their other businesses from legal moves
2 Sell the Intellectual Property owned by LGBoA back to Marklin
3 LGBoA is a distraction for Silvergate management because they cannot use it to generate profits - therefore sell it
4 if they sell it - particularly if they sell it to marklin - then any legal problems will disappear.
Again strictly my crystall ball 4c
Les
LES DITTRICH said:
My speculative 4c...LGBoA and Marklin have done a deal to sell LGBoA Inc back to Marklin.
There are only 4 reasons in my mind why LGBoA would start up a duplicate corporate structure:-
1 Isolate their other businesses from legal moves
2 Sell the Intellectual Property owned by LGBoA back to Marklin
3 LGBoA is a distraction for Silvergate management because they cannot use it to generate profits - therefore sell it
4 if they sell it - particularly if they sell it to marklin - then any legal problems will disappear.
Again strictly my crystall ball 4c
Les
Les,
Given that the somewhat “questionable” circumstances under which LGBoA “declared” they had the rights to sell LGB oustide of Germany, what makes you think LGBoA has the right to “sell” the name back to Maerklin?
My take is that this “procedure” is a face saving way of the “boys” admitting they actually did NOT have the “rights” they said they did, and are scrambling to get out from under before too much more damage is done to their “reputations”.
Never mind damage to their pocket books.
A little bird has told me the German authorities are still being pesky nosing around this whole sorry saga.
Someone also told me that the “boy’s” passports have once again been withdrawn, but I don’t know whether to believe that or not.
Any of the ventilators care to comment?
Hey Tony, you gotta watch that, next thing you know Marvin looks at your avatar and knows the Devil is on this Forum. :lol: :lol:
BTW the German authorities are used to working slowly but surely.
Tony,
I suppose an American visa or even a green card is out of the question then. So much for the boys sunning it up off the California coast aboard their luxury cruising yacht. Wealth is passed down along the heritage line (to be squandered), but sometimes genes skip a few generations.
HJ,
I am sure that Marvin (in any of his incantations, or is that incarnations), thinks that Tony is your enforcer on this site. I have met Tony and he is a gentleman, not a devil as some who have reason, may fear.
As long as I am not subject to incarceration for telling the truth, roll on life.
Marvin is best stirred until seething and then left to congeal.
So the scum formed on the top protects us all from his rantings.
I dunno about this gentleman business.
But if’n you all like the devil in me, I shall rest on my laurels.
Um, Err, make that reputation.
No,make that …
Oh well not to worry.
Dear Tony,
I never said my crystal ball was infallible!
But I cannot understand the following.
If the name of the company and Intellectual Property (if any) - were not problems - why not simply change the name of the existing legal entity and sell the Intellectual Property (if any)? Perhaps under the original deal the “rights” (if any) were not capable of being assigned or sold to another entity. Perhaps there are also potential legal moves which might be directed at that company? Therefore it would make sense to insulate the other businesses from any fallout by transferring them to another legal entity. I simply don’t buy any existing explanations of why the new companies were created - eg to serve the needs of customers. Creating and transferring stuff costs money (and not just the cost of creating the company) so why spend? There has to be another reason. “Embarrassment” isn’t a sufficient reason in my view.
Les
Les,
Ain’t “spin” just the greatest invention by those that cannot, or will not, tell the truth?
I think you have answered your own question.
In the meantime it might be prudent to wait until the relevant German regulatory authorities have finished their investigations and tell the World what they have found out.
Assuming of course, there is something to find out.
Tony,
I learned long ago that what is not said is often more important that what is said.
Les
LES DITTRICH said:Les,
But I cannot understand .... If .... why .... Perhaps .... Perhaps .... I simply don't buy any .... so why....? Les
What if one simply wanted to be able to market PIKO out from under the LGB name and still retain any existing rights to LGB? Conspiracy theories are fun because they are so complex, but the truth is often very straight forward.
If you want to put that crystal ball to good use, peek and see what PIKO is doing with that big new factory in China!
Jack