Shelby Consider, the landlord of the Shelby trademark, has received a court docket case which the agree with claims in any case permits it and different developers to create Mustangs that resemble the Eleanor-named grey Mustangs in 2000’s hit film “Long past in 60 Seconds,” in addition to the yellow Eleanor Mustang that featured within the authentic 1974 model of the film.
For years, the 2 automobile designs had been defended below copyright coverage via Denise Halicki, the spouse of Henry Blight “Toby” Halicki, who made the unique Long past in 60 Seconds film. She received the rights in a 2008 court docket case in opposition to Shelby after the agree with a couple of years prior began licensing the 2000 design to copy developers prepared to provide Eleanor-style Mustangs on the market.
Halicki has organized licensing offers with copy developers prior to now, however no longer with Shelby. As an example, Vintage Recreations final yr introduced a carbon-fiber bodied Eleanor with an 810-hp supercharged V-8—priced at just about $300,000. A extra conventional copy for round $200,000 used to be introduced via Emblem New Muscle Automotive in 2019. In each the ones circumstances, the copy resembled the Eleanor from the 2000 film starring Nicolas Cage and Angelina Jolie. The auto within the film used to be in line with a 1967 Ford Shelby GT500.
In step with Shelby, the U.S. District Court docket for the Central District of California final week dominated that each Eleanor Mustang designs (2000’s grey design and 1974’s yellow) weren’t deserving of copyright coverage, at the foundation the designs were not consultant of a personality which may be thought to be highbrow assets.
“We will in any case inform all our necessary licensees and Shelby GT500 homeowners that Mrs. Halicki has completely no proper to bitch about or document a lawsuit primarily based upon the appearance of any automobile authorized via the Shelby Consider,” Neil Cummings, a co-trustee of the Shelby Consider who oversaw the criminal procedure, stated in a commentary. “The actual worth of all Shelby GT500s is now safe with this information.”