In November 2024, Gibson confirmed it had sent a cease-and-desist notice to 16 Creative, the company identified in contemporaneous coverage as behind Trump Guitars. Gibson said the single-cut electric design infringed its exclusive trademarks, particularly the Les Paul body shape. That is Gibson’s allegation as reported in 2024. It is not a court ruling, and the published coverage does not show how the dispute ended.
What Gibson said
Guitar World reported on November 25, 2024 that Gibson had confirmed the notice. The company’s statement, as quoted by that outlet, read:
“We can confirm a cease and desist has been issued against 16 Creative as the design infringes upon Gibson’s exclusive trademarks, particularly the iconic Les Paul body shape.”
The statement was attributed to a Gibson representative, who was not named in the reporting. The complaint centres on the overall body shape of a single-cut electric guitar, which Gibson links to its Les Paul line. Gibson’s public trademark list includes LES PAUL® under U.S. Registration No. 1539282. A registration on that list confirms the mark exists. It does not decide whether any particular guitar infringes it.
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Timeline of the reported dispute
- November 25, 2024: Guitar World reports that Gibson confirmed a cease-and-desist was issued to 16 Creative over a single-cut electric model. The launch it describes was Trump-endorsed and included single-cut electrics and acoustic models.
- November 27, 2024: The Guardian independently reports Gibson’s action, describes the guitar line and its launch claims, and says Trump promoted a limited-edition guitar. The prices it gives were the prices on the website at that time.
- December 3, 2024: Guitar World reports that Trump Guitars changed its advertised models and website after the notice, including updating its Presidential-series offering and removing the Les Paul-style guitars from sale, according to that report.
What changed at Trump Guitars, as reported
The December 3 follow-up is the only published account in this set that describes a response from the company. It reports that the Les Paul-style models were removed and that the advertised line was revised. Those changes were described in the publication’s own words at that date. Anyone checking the current Trump Guitars website or retail listings will be looking at a different snapshot from the one these reports describe.
Prices reported in November 2024
The Guardian reported the following prices from the Trump Guitars website as it appeared around November 27, 2024. These are historical figures from one snapshot, not current prices and not verified sales figures.
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Who is involved
- Gibson Inc. is the guitar maker that confirmed issuing the notice and asserted that the design infringes its trademarks.
- 16 Creative is the company named as the notice recipient and identified in 2024 coverage as behind Trump Guitars.
- Trump Guitars is the guitar line the notice concerned. Coverage described it as Trump-endorsed.
- Donald Trump endorsed and promoted the line in the 2024 coverage. The reporting does not establish that he owned 16 Creative.
What the record does not show
The published coverage from 2024 does not establish a lawsuit, a court judgment, a settlement, or a withdrawal of the notice involving 16 Creative. It also does not show whether Gibson pursued the matter further. Current product availability, current prices, and the present state of the Trump Guitars website are not established by these sources. Readers looking for the latest status should check the company’s own channels and any later news coverage dated after December 2024.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Reading the claim accurately
A cease-and-desist is a demand letter. It asks the recipient to stop an activity and may be followed by negotiation, a change in product design, litigation, or nothing further. Describing it as a finding of infringement goes beyond what the 2024 reporting supports. The accurate description is that Gibson asserted infringement, that Gibson’s trademark list covers LES PAUL®, and that the reported response from Trump Guitars was to change its advertised models.
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For readers comparing guitars, the useful question is how each model’s overall shape differs from the Gibson Les Paul design at issue. That is a matter of visual comparison, not a legal test.
Trump Guitars is not a Gibson product. Gibson’s dispute concerns a different company’s guitar, and the reporting gives no basis for treating the two brands as connected.
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