News
October 31, 2009

Updated: Premier Music International continues to market Hosbilt designs

Despite demands that Premier Music International Ltd. (PMIL) cease manufacturing, marketing and selling Craig Colquhoun’s bass- and tenor-drum products, the Leicester, England-based drum manufacturer continues to offer the instruments in its catalog.
 
The line of drums is being promoted as the “Professional” series, with no apparent changes to specifications and design, originally sold under the “Hosbilt” trademarked name, which Colquhoun licensed to PMIL in 2002.
 
Colquhoun has formally demanded that PMIL “cease and desist” using his intellectual property, which was allegedly set out in the original agreement between the two organizations.
 
“The continuation of my distinctive bass and tenor design under a new name by Premier is a violation of my previous agreement,” Colquhoun said.
 
Colquhoun’s Hosbilt range uses a “turnbuckle” tensioning system that Colquhoun developed in the 1990s from his Tiverton, Ontario-based business.
 
After working under a licensing agreement since 2002, Colquhoun discontinued his relationship with PMIL last month. PMIL has removed mention of the Hosbilt brand from its website. For the second time in its history, Premier went in to liquidation in August of this year.
 
The number of top pipe bands using Premier-branded drums has rapidly declined in a market that the company used to dominate. In May 2009 long-time PMIL employee, developer and spokesperson, Jim Kilpatrick, severed his ties with the company, joining Pearl Percussion of Nashville, Tenessee. Kilpatrick’s band, House of Edgar-Shotts & Dykehead, also signed an endorsement deal with Pearl after using Premier-branded products for more than 30 years.

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