YouTuber's 2015 Ford Mustang 'Eleanor' Tribute Build Seized by "Gone in 60 Seconds" Trademark Holder
Eleanor Licensing LLC strikes again.
Losing a car is hard, whether it departs this mortal coil in an accident or by some other means. It's even harder when you've put a tremendous amount of time and money into it. You can imagine, then, how people are reacting to the news that the popular B is for Build YouTube channel had its 2015 Ford Mustang "Eleanor" project — a tribute to the famous 1967 Shelby Mustang hero car from the 2000 remake of Gone in 60 Seconds — seized during a legal dispute with the owner of the Eleanor trademark.
If that's a confusing sentence to read, a little context is in order. Yes, the Eleanor name and likeness is actually trademarked by the widow of the late H.B. Halicki, who created the original 1974 film and died in an accident while filming the aborted sequel of sorts in 1989. U.S. law holds that trademarks must be enforced and defended by the owner in court to stay current, and Denice Shakarian Halicki has made no secret of her willingness to do so over the last two decades via her company Eleanor Licensing LLC.
