Hobby manufacturers, wholesale and retail distributors, and consumers alike, this is a CALL FOR ACTION! Contact your local Senator without delay to urge them to support House Bill 4806, Military Toy Replica Act. Passage of this Bill will "prohibit defense contractors from requiring licenses of fees for use of military likenesses or designation." It will specifically provide exemptions for U.S.-based hobby and toy companies involved in the development, marketing, and sale of assembled or unassembled replicas of U.S. military hardware. Contact your reps at the websites listed below.

For more than fifty years, military aircraft, ships, and vehicle design and designations have been in the public domain and free from licensing restraints as the actual subjects were contracted and fully funded by the U.S. Government on behalf of the U.S. citizenry. Recently, major U.S. Defense contractors or their designated licensing agents have begun programs to appropriate these federally-assigned type designations (i.e. P-51, P-38, B-17, B-52), associated names (i.e. "Mustang", "Lightning", "Flying Fortress", "Stratofortress"), and likenesses into intellectual property for corporate gain through royalty income from readily-recognized names and likenesses.

FAILURE to pass H. B. 4806 will have the following negative effects:

1.) Increase product costs at all levels of distribution

2.) Reduce access to a wide variety of available product as low-volume subjects will be deleted or eliminated as they will no longer be financially viable.

3.) Significantly increase new product development cycles and costs due to the unwarranted burden of new licensing requirements.

Protect your access to your national military heritage!! Protect your access to scale replicas of military aircraft, vessels, and vehicles that have been funded by the U.S. Government with taypayer dollars.

Contact your elected Congressional Representative without delay and urge them to pass House Bill 4806!!!

Do your part to stop this unwarranted misappropraition of our nation's military history!!

Links:

www.senate.gov

www.house.gov

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