Hat Trust Exposed!

[Fletch]

The small print at the bottom of the the Stratoliner page at TheFedoraStore.com reveals the awful truth!

Under its Stetson license agreement, Hatco continues to have the exclusive right to manufacture and distribute felt and straw hats, including Western and dress hats, in the US, Canada, and Mexico.

1. Are they serious?
2. How could a license for one brand name, Stetson, confer a monopoly on all hats?

In the audiovisual business this kind of language is known as the "Rohauer Clause," after a film showman who supposedly tried to copyright sprocket holes - which would have granted him blanket ownership of every film ever made that wasn't already under copyright.

 

[Neophyte]

I think they mean that Hatco has the exclusive right to manufacture and distribute straw and felt hats under the Stetson license. Thus, Hatco has rights to manufacture and distribution of Stetson hats. I believe you simply read it wrong.

 

[scottyrocks]

Doesnt this mean that Hatco has the exclusive right to manufacture and distribute Stetson hats?

 

[barrowjh]

I'm not a lawyer, but I expect the intent was to say something to the effect of ". . . exclusive right to manufacture and distribute felt and straw hats under the Stetson brand name, . . ."

That requires them to repeat name Stetson twice in one sentence, and opens up questions that Hatco probably prefers most of their customers never ask, such as :
Well, how many other brands does Hatco similarly manufacture and distribute? Could I buy an equivalent hat cheaper under one of those other brand names?
Outside of US, Canada, and Mexico, is there another manufacturer of Stetson hats? What do they charge for a Stratoliner (or equivalent) hat?

I doubt they intended the reader to believe that only Hatco can distribute felt and straw hats period.

Maybe I misunderstood the original post? Help me if I'm off base.

 

[Fletch]

I think they mean that Hatco has the exclusive right to manufacture and distribute straw and felt hats under the Stetson license. Thus, Hatco has rights to manufacture and distribution of Stetson hats. I believe you simply read it wrong.

Well, I believe they simply wrote it wrong.

Note that I don't really believe Hatco would go legal to quash competition. From their close interaction with us Loungers - without which there wouldn't be a Strat page above - they're obviously not that kind of company.

 

[Lefty]

While I agree with Neo's statement, relying on TheFedoraStore.com for an accurate description as to the rights and licenses of Hat Co. probably isn't the best idea, anyway.

 

[Neophyte]

Well, I believe they simply wrote it wrong.

...Well, yeah, there's that .

 

[fmw]

Hatco doesn't need a license to distribute Stetson hats. They own the brand. Fedora store doesn't either. They simply have to abide by the terms of the dealer agreement. I think the confusion is with the term license. I think Lefty got the correct analysis.

 

[gtdean48]

Hatco doesn't need a license to distribute Stetson hats. They own the brand...

I'm not sure that is true since Stetson licenses the name to eyewear, fragrance, clothing & footwear. HatCo may license the name for headwear but does not outright own the brand "Stetson". That is why you see HatCo on www.stetsonhat.com but not on www.stetson.com. I don't think HatCo is licensing the brand to the other lines. JMHO

 

[Atticus Finch]

My contracts professor used to say that we should always use the utmost care when we were drafting any legal document. He told us to never forget that, one day, another lawyer would purposefully try to misinterpret whatever we had written.

AF

 

[martinsantos]

I understand the statement as HatCo has the exclusive right about Stetson. Not about other brands - unless they get license agreeement from all brands. Then we would see a trully monopoly. They can't do more than the license agreement give them.

 

[fmw]

I'm not sure that is true since Stetson licenses the name to eyewear, fragrance, clothing & footwear. HatCo may license the name for headwear but does not outright own the brand "Stetson". That is why you see HatCo on www.stetsonhat.com but not on www.stetson.com. I don't think HatCo is licensing the brand to the other lines. JMHO

I'm sorry. I thought Hatco owned stetson, Resistol, Dobbs etc. - literally had bought the companies and owned them, manufacture the hats etc. Guess not.

 

[W4ASZ]

This raises grave antitrust issues, issues that can only be resolved by a class action suit. I propose that the class (mainly us) settle for a new Stratoliner each.

Some of you won't see any humor in this post, either.

Lighten up !

 

[Alan-Eby]

This raises grave antitrust issues, issues that can only be resolved by a class action suit. I propose that the class (mainly us) settle for a new Stratoliner each.

Some of you won't see any humor in this post, either.

Lighten up !

I concur, we can settle this quickly and simply with new hats for everyone!

 

[warbird]

I believe Tom hit the nail on the head. As far as I know the Stetson family still own the Stetson company. They in turn license out manufacturing, distributing, etc out to other companies for all of the things with the Stetson name. If I recall correctly Stetson ceased production of their own hats sometime around 1970.

 

[HATCO]

It was a mistake on their part. We own the license for making and selling felt and straw hats under the Stetson name in North America and parts of South America. FWS owns the license to manufacture and sell fabric/felt/straw hats under the Stetson name in Europe. Dorfman Pacific owns the license to manufacture and sell fabric hats only in the US and the everywhere else outside of Europe. They also own the license to sell straw/felt to the rest of the else that Hatco and FWS currently does not.

We acquired the license to manufacture Stetson hats when we bought Stevens Hats in 1986 who owned the license to manufacture Stetson since 1970.
As mentioned in other posts Stetson went bankrupt in 1970.

As far as how the other brands came to be part of Hatco... It's rather convoluted. Some were mergers, some were acquisitions and some were born from within Hatco.

 

[Jedwbpm]

This type of thing really intrigues me Hatco. How much coordination is there between the Stetson Hat makers and other products? Are the hats sold in say Australia different from US Stetson. I assume there is a QC requirement for the licensees so that say a stinky after shave dose not bring the brand down. When I go to Stetson.com who owns that site? I wish I could go on the trip this year but as a bagpiper it is the busiest week of the year for me.

Jeff

 

[HATCO]

This type of thing really intrigues me Hatco. How much coordination is there between the Stetson Hat makers and other products? Are the hats sold in say Australia different from US Stetson. I assume there is a QC requirement for the licensees so that say a stinky after shave dose not bring the brand down. When I go to Stetson.com who owns that site? I wish I could go on the trip this year but as a bagpiper it is the busiest week of the year for me.

Jeff

We have little to no say in how the Stetson Brand licenses their name.

John B Stetson Company owns Stetson.com

 

[danofarlington]

We have little to no say in how the Stetson Brand licenses their name.

John B Stetson Company owns Stetson.com

Seldom do we hear from the large manufacturers, and I am happy to read posts from them. I'm a big fan of the Stetson brand, having bought a couple of e bay models of the Open Road, one of them a Stetson Twenty Five from who knows when. I don't mean to initiate a lot of back and forth, but I wish Stetson or Hatco would make something like the old, unstiff Open Roads again. It's different if the company thinks the market for them would be thin, but I'm just expressing a wish. I may be a customer for the modern models too. Keep up the good work.