Groups of lawyers representing aircraft/aerspace companies have been threatening US model airplane makers with legal action unless they pay royalties. As a result, kit compaines are curtailing development and release of new scale model airplane kits and ARF's.

The AMA is asking members and other interested parties to contact their Government reps by PHONE ONLY regarding rapidly upcoming legislative action on this subject. Please go here and please take quick action as requested regardless how you feel about AMA:

http://www.modelaircraft.org/supportletter.asp

MK: Edited for spelling.

Just so people are clear, it's not the fact that the full-scale companies are demanding royalties, it's the fact that full-scale companies are demanding [:@]OUTLANDISH[:@] royalties, which would dramatically increase the cost of scale replicas, sometimes by orders of magnitude...

how many posts are enough on this topic ? isnt there an ama forum? ... not tryin to cause drama but geeez.. if i made a post in 8 diff areas 7 would be deleted...[X(]

First and foremost, this isn't an AMA issue. This affects everyone, because it opens the door for other industries to charge exhorbitant licensing/royalty fees for any sort of scale replica. Imagine paying $23.99 for a simple $3.99 Matchbox replica of a classic 1969 Dodge Charger, for example, because Daimler-Chrysler is demanding a $20 royalty for each and every replica sold. That is what is going on here.

Secondly, I'm not personally aware of any of the other postings regarding this issue by E-challenged. I've even gone as far as checking his profile, and his last posting before this was March 23rd. It had nothing to do with royalties.

Im in luck... i dont fly scale... i am sure someone with a legal mind will find a loop hole somewhere in the royaltie laws.. im over it