A number of websites are reporting that Ford has threatened legal action against one of its fan websites, therangerstation.com. Initial speculation has fed a wave of outrage, as it seems suicidal to attack your biggest base of support right when you teeter on the brink of bankruptcy. As with most internet speculation, some of it is true, and much of it just hasn’t been put into the appropriate context. Initial claims that michiganmustang.com and mustangrevolution.com also received legal notices have now been discredited.

The problem stems from therangerstation.com selling what Ford’s legal department claim are counterfeit Ford products. Legally, this puts Ford in a bit of a predicament. Ford clearly owns the trademark “Ford” blue oval, but in trademark law, the owner of a trademark must enforce his rights to that trademark. That means that if Ford lets 3rd party sellers sell counterfeit Ford products, it can dilute Ford’s trademark to the point that it no longer has any legal force or protection. Unfortunately, this need to police the Ford trademark comes at a critical point in Ford’s life, and may add a few thorns in its side that it doesn’t need.

So what is Ford looking to get out of this situation? As you can see from the letter by Scott Monty over at voltagecreative.com (scroll down to the comments), Ford wants therangerstation.com and other such fansites to keep their names and stay in operation. BUT, he/ford is asking that said sites contact Ford for licensing of the name. As I mention above, this is probably just Ford trying to prevent it’s trademark from becoming diluted to the point of unenforceability. The real question will be how much Ford is demanding in licensing fees. If they demand nothing or close to nothing, than yes, they are just working the law to protect their trademark. If they start demanding more compensation then, well, let’s just say a house cannot stand of you blow up its foundation…