I don't call it one dimensional thinking, it's reality. This guy is a small fish in a mud hole. And this " counterfeit" guitar is being referred to like its a hot 100 dollar bill. Not the same thing. We're talking about copyright infringement here. This guy isn't responsible for any copyright infringement. Did he make the guitar and use Gibsons trademark for a logo? I think not. If I were producing them in my garage and labeling them with a trademarked logo without permission, there would be a problem. The producers of the instrument who use the logo are the responsible party. And since there in china what do you do?
Media companies advertising them, I agree. But here is where the money comes into play. A company making profits of advertising and selling trademark violations. This would also be a responcible party and I would expect Gibson to legally pursue them. A trademark lawsuit=money....and preventing monies made off their name. Going after a small fish in a mud hole, joe blow in the local trailer park with a Gibson copy doesn't fix the problem or gain anything. Plus it wouldn't be very good customer relations to try to intimidate individuals.
I'm not trying to beat the drum in defense of the guy. I just give him benefit of a doubt that he got suckered into it by somebody, and now he's trying to sell it and at least being honest about it. The fact that he has possession of it doesn't make him a criminal, it's not a crack rock rolled in a counterfeit Ben Franklin. The producers of the instrument, and the party responcible for distributing them to a unknowing public is the guilty party. Forming a lynch mob after a individual person just trying to sell a guitar isn't solving the problem as far as Gibson is concerned.
However, to be UN ONE demonsional I think the guy does have a responsibility to contact Gibson and provide information about where it come from originally. This helps track down the real problem here. If he knowing bought a fake, and sold it as the real deal, well I'd say he was a peice of you know what. And some of you may be correct in saying him selling it is illegal. May be. I'm just trying to make the point that it won't help to pursue a individual nobody and throw him behind bars. A good investigator knows the small fish lead to the big pond.