Tom Oberheim has announced that after 36 years, he has his name back – worldwide.
Tom Oberheim is part of the pantheon of synth legends, helping define the 70s and 80s polysynth with his creations, shipped under his name Oberheim Electronics. That company reached the end of the road in 1985, which involved selling off the trademarks and assets. Gibson got the rights to the name in 1988.
Since 2009, though, Tom has been shipping products again, including the iconic SEM (Synthesizer Expander Module).
Getting his name back took longer. US trademarks and some countries were consolidated by 2019, but Music Tribe Global Brands Ltd. (known popularly by its brand name / founder’s name Behringer) had registered the Oberheim name in some localities.
Today, Tom announced that Music Tribe has returned the Oberheim trademarks to the founder, meaning Tom Oberheim can be “Oberheim” on synths worldwide. This comes shortly after Music Tribe losing trademark disputes to the original Auratone company and its founding family, as covered previously, meaning this summer we have not one but two names return to their original owners.
For synth lovers, this is all about the original Two Voice Pro:
That’s in addition to the awesome OB-6 made with Sequential (and another legendary and all-around very-nice-person, Dave Smith).
See the full history, where Tom – for all the pride around his name – also makes sure to credit all the “creative, hard-working engineers, technicians, and support people” who made the company’s legacy possible.
https://www.oberheim.com/products