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news
Kaiser Chiefs and Sturmey Archer"Kaiser Thiefs" - Sturmey-Archer attacks Leeds band for "blatantly copying" logo
One of the British cycling industry's oldest brands, Sturmey-Archer, has accused Leeds-based post-punk band The Kaiser Chiefs of "blatantly copying" its logo and packaging design for the cover of its forthcoming album, as well as for its revamped website. The band says it wanted to "pay homage to the legacy of Sturmey Archer" and it did not intend to upset the company.
As the picture above shows, there do appear to be striking similarities between the artwork for the Sturmey-Archer packaging and that for the album Education, Education, Education & War, which will be released next month.
What some might see as an affectionate tribute to a brand with more than 110 years of history behind it hasn't gone down well at Sturmey-Archer, however. Indeed, you could be forgiven for thinking their first reaction on learning of the album cover was, "Oh my God, I can't believe it."
The now Taiwanese-owned company's general manager, Alan Clarke, said: "I have worked for the company for more than 40 years and I have never known anything quite as blatant as this.
"We are used to this sort of thing from backstreet suppliers but did not expect it from such a big band.
"They did not even contact us up front and they have not responded to questions posed since we were alerted by customers."
He added: "A customer has suggested that the band should be re-named Kaiser Thiefs - which might not be grammatically correct but does reflect how we now feel."
In a statement sent to road.cc, the band said: "The lyrics of our new album Education, Education, Education & War look into Britain's past and our designer has deliberately created artwork that references Britain's Heritage.
"We hoped to pay homage to the legacy of Sturmey Archer and by using this design we did not expect, nor did we intend to upset them."
From Andy Warhol's Brillo Box scupltures and Campbell's Soup tin paintings through to album covers such as Procul Harum's A Salty Dog, inspired by the design of Player's Navy Cut cigarettes, artists have long taken inspiration from the world of commerce, and even cinema.
The process works in reverse, too, with advertisers often borrowing from art to plug their wares - in 2005, Nike apologised to Washington DC punk band Minor Threat and its record label after the sportswear giant publicised a skateboarding tour with a poster that lifted text and imagery from a 1981 album cover.
Album covers and the like clearly inspired by something else tend to be viewed as a "pastiche," defined by Oxford Dictionaries as "an artistic work in a style that imitates that of another work, artist, or period," and such artwork deemed as fair use.
Nor are Kaiser Chiefs the first band to have been inspired by bicycle componentry - the name of 1990s indie dance band Campag Velocet [sic] was inspired by the Campagnolo Veloce groupset.
Kaiser Chiefs' own name was taken from the South African football club Kaizer Chiefs, where former Leeds United captain Lucas Radebe had started his career.
Tribute, homage, pastiche or blatant rip-off - let us know your favourites from the world of music and beyond in the comments below, and if there's a cycling link, so much the better.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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45 comments
+1 for SA 3-speeds. How many other gear systems function without maintenance for 30-40 years?
Us older riders grew up with SA three-speed hubs. Luxury they were, back in the day.
The TdF was won on an SA 3-speed hub in 1907-08:
http://www.sturmey-archerheritage.com/index.php?page=history-detail&id=200
Come on, Sunrace did the world a favour by keeping the Sturmey Archer stalwarts like the AW hubs going when Britain couldn't anymore. Modern folders and city bikes use their affordable and reliable hubs. They're not making racing stuff but they are at the forefront of making bikes for the people. Half of Asia uses their hubs every day. If decadent Westerners can afford blingy stuff that's lighter (but no more reliable) that's fine but don't do this company down. You can still get spares for 30yr old bikes thanks to them and that keeps the wreckers chained up at a lot of stations going. How is that a bad thing?
It is nice to be asked, but I hope they turn this around into some good publicity rather than be seen as over-defensive corporate entities resorting to lawyers in the first instance.
SA, out of date and out of touch. Unless the reaction wasn't genuine and only a PR stunt, then well done it worked. Who ever talks about SA anymore?
Presumably the kind of hipsters who are willing to drop £900 for a 3-speed 35lb Pashley. I can only suspect that's the same demographic The Kaiser Chiefs are aiming for.
I notice they stayed well clear of nicking any artwork from Specialized!
Pointless as the spat is, and rubbish as the Kaiser Chiefs are, it raises an interesting legal question. So far as I'm aware, trademark and trade dress protection applies only within the relevant field(s) in which the mark is registered (in this instance, cycle components, and nowhere else, one presumes).
Which means that presuming the Kaiser Chiefs do not intend marketing bike spares, their use is quite legal, unless the expression of the mark (i.e. the design itself) is still within the 75-year span of corporate authorship copyright; if it were, then use of the typeface and layout arguably would be copyright - but not trademark - infringement.
I blame the Kaiser Chiefs for all the times my Chopper slipped out of second gear and I rattled my nuts on the T bar shifter.
Just Like SA's 3 speed shifting gear toggle chain on the Grifter
Kaiser Chiefs - you are the weakest link...Goodbye (not Good Buy)
!BYp!oF!BGk~$(KGrHgoOKjoEjlLmRkbZBKiq5iveO!~~_35.jpg
35 comments and no mention of Disraeli Gears yet?
Glad to see someone already got the HMHB reference in. I understand that Nigel's on Shimano Ultegra now though.
Even if a defence of fair use was attempted, it's generally not applicable where there the main purpose is commercial exploitation.
That's why the recent "Dumb Starbucks" setup gave away free coffee, so they could maintain that it was a work of art not an act of commerce.
As for the ethics of a designer who was presumably paid for their work and just ripped off somebody else...
OK, seriously now... did anyone actually know that the Sturmey-Archer company still existed? I thought it had disappeared...
Forgot to mention in the article, but my abiding cycling memory of the Kaiser Chiefs was when I walked past the Sky Death Star before the start of Milan-San Remo in 2012 and "I Predict a Riot" was blaring out.
Mind you, I'm not convinced that Cav getting dropped on Le Manie when Liquigas forced the pace on behalf of Nibali was quite the riot they had in mind...
I heard this song...and bought the debut Campag Velocet album.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=N9rFCvrn6SQ
If Kaiser Chiefs think it's ok to steal someone elses art, then maybe they think it's ok to steal theirs.
They started their whole career by ripping off the name of a South African football team, so why is anyone surprised? They've always been devoid of originality.
i always preferred maximo park meself
Fatbeggar, change gears stick it on 33, thats a winner!
I tried the chiefs new album at three different speeds 72, 45 and 16 rpm (explain that to the youngsters) it was still like their previous ones RUBBISH
Surely the bike industry is well ahead of the music biz when it comes to a spot of harmless plagiarism?
Sure there's about another thousand I've missed, too.
KC people talk with SA people.
Carefully crafted spat.
Spat fed to press.
Brand awareness boosted for both parties.
"Agreement" reached.
Agreement fed to press.
Corporate image boosted for both parties.
More sales all round.
More column inches filled.
Good publicity for Sturmey-Archer. Didn't realise they were still going.
sunrace bought the name, its made in the Far East now.
And it's rubbish, just like the Kaiser Chiefs.
I believe Pedro failed to sue the Delgados back in the day too.
Album Tracks (3)
1. Yellow
2. Blue
3. Red
There is no such thing as bad publicity. Just bad PR and media management.
Count up the column inches, grab your advertisers digest, work out how much it would have cost you, wet yourself with excitement at the free advertising.
Word of advice to Sturmey Archer - DON'T F*****G BLOW IT!!!
Maybe they'll backpedal and shift their opinion after all this free publicity
Sturmey Archer? He's the only one to leave Ambridge and get a proper job!
(Apologies to Jack Dee and ISIHAC for that one)
if they didn't want to upset them then they should have asked first.
I suspect they just nicked a design they liked and couldn't give a monkeys about Sturmey Archer's heritage or paying homage to it. But when spotted decided that IP theft could be passed off as complement.
BTW has anyone got a sturmey archer 3 speed anymore. I was telling my son that bikes used to have hub gears and 3 speeds. He looked at me like I was making it up.
"Has anyone got a Sturmey Archer 3 speed anymore?"
Just about everyone who owns a Brompton, that's who.
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