The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

If one looks at the handle, they are stamped with "AMERICAN TOURISTER"

.......... requiring no professional skills or tools..............

American Tourister was a well known gramophone brand that eventually just made suitcases without the guts...

Maybe Samsonite's are the top of the best... Aren't they?

kirtley2012 wrote: Wed Oct 02, 2024 6:39 pm

Orchorsol wrote: Wed Oct 02, 2024 3:00 pm

epigramophone wrote: Wed Oct 02, 2024 1:29 pm

One UK dealer used to hire out genuine machines to film and TV production companies. Now anything with a horn will do.

I recall being entranced with one of Ian Maxted's in the film Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

I was recently about to do likewise for a jazz era production just starting in London, and went to some lengths to prepare a couple of proper horn machines they could choose from and to describe the woes of crapophones (whilst at the same time offering them a couple of the latter which I had previously planned to destroy spectacularly on video) - I think I put them off! After all that they said they were "going in a different direction now."

Oh really, I've just bought the dvd now, I'll have to look out for it

And later in the film , you get a brief glimpse ( and I mean brief ! ) of a cylinder phonograph on a mantelpiece in one of the rooms of the house. Its a European reversible lid type style that I supplied to the film production company along with five phonograph horns which didn't get used in the film . That phonograph was actually parts of three different machines I pieced together ! Hey ho ! Dulcetto

I'm surprised no one has yet mentioned the illegal use of the "HMV" trademark. Mind you, back in the early 90's I did have some correspondence with someone at EMI about the flagrant misuse of it on Crapophones and they seemed genuinely surprised by it and potentially interested in taking action. Bear in mind there was no internet at the time and all Crapophone sales were very much on the ground so it was easy to approach sellers with them. Needless to add, and perhaps not surprisingly, it never went anywhere.

Steve wrote: Mon Nov 25, 2024 9:01 am I'm surprised no one has yet mentioned the illegal use of the "HMV" trademark. Mind you, back in the early 90's I did have some correspondence with someone at EMI about the flagrant misuse of it on Crapophones and they seemed genuinely surprised by it and potentially interested in taking action. Bear in mind there was no internet at the time and all Crapophone sales were very much on the ground so it was easy to approach sellers with them. Needless to add, and perhaps not surprisingly, it never went anywhere.

A lot has happened since EMI owned the HMV trademark.

In 2003 the trademark was transferred from EMI to HMV Group PLC, which operated the chain of HMV stores.

In 2013 HMV Group PLC went into Administration and was purchased by Hilco UK, an investment and restructuring company.

In 2019 JD Sports acquired the HMV trademark, and Sunrise Records acquired the HMV stores.

I suspect that JD Sports are not unduly worried by the use of the HMV trademark on fake acoustic gramophones. Today many people are too young to remember when the HMV trademark was last used by EMI on machines.

epigramophone wrote: Mon Nov 25, 2024 11:01 am

Steve wrote: Mon Nov 25, 2024 9:01 am I'm surprised no one has yet mentioned the illegal use of the "HMV" trademark. Mind you, back in the early 90's I did have some correspondence with someone at EMI about the flagrant misuse of it on Crapophones and they seemed genuinely surprised by it and potentially interested in taking action. Bear in mind there was no internet at the time and all Crapophone sales were very much on the ground so it was easy to approach sellers with them. Needless to add, and perhaps not surprisingly, it never went anywhere.

A lot has happened since EMI owned the HMV trademark.

In 2003 the trademark was transferred from EMI to HMV Group PLC, which operated the chain of HMV stores.

In 2013 HMV Group PLC went into Administration and was purchased by Hilco UK, an investment and restructuring company.

In 2019 JD Sports acquired the HMV trademark, and Sunrise Records acquired the HMV stores.

I suspect that JD Sports are not unduly worried by the use of the HMV trademark on fake acoustic gramophones. Today many people are too young to remember when the HMV trademark was last used by EMI on machines.

Very interesting, I didn't know that, but you're probably right, a company selling training shoes won't care about the misappropriation of the world's most famous trademark. What a tragic turn of events, further proof, if it were needed, that everything went downhill after EMI was formed.

All very well but... Why on earth JD Sport acquired the HMV brand? If they're not going to use it, why spend any money on that...?

Inigo wrote: Mon Nov 25, 2024 12:33 pm All very well but... Why on earth JD Sport acquired the HMV brand? If they're not going to use it, why spend any money on that...?

I wonder if they'd sell it to me for a £1?