Just over a week after the announcement of the judgment in the “HCU v. PANArt” case, in which the Hang was awarded a clear and unambiguous property right, PANArt has now commendably published the entire judgment in the original German and also in a verified English translation.
Anyone interested in the ‘case’ can now read in detail the arguments on which the Bern judges‘ ruling is based – and the incomprehensible and arrogant arguments with which the HCU approached this conflict. It is good that public hearings and their ‘protocols’ are also made available to the public in a transparent manner. And even more so in this case, in which more than 200,000 euros in donations from private individuals were collected by the HCU for their legal fees. It will be interesting to see the HCU’s explanations and statements.
PANArt Statement & the “Bern Verdict” download
Quote from the statement by Felix Rohner and Sabina Schärer:
<< With vigor, we showed the 25 plaintiffs that the principle of sound production on the steelpan can be used to create a wide variety of shapes, that the hammer on the sheet metal can open up a great deal of creative freedom. We were supported by renowned experts from Trinidad and Germany. It has now paid off to patiently await the work of the judge in this complex matter. His decision can serve as an impetus for the losing claimants and their steel sound sculptors to produce their own musical instruments that meet their needs.”>>
I also recommend reading the publication by SHELLOPAN on this topic – a critical ‘in short’ point of view from a pioneer handpan maker – here linked as ‘Google Website Translate’ in English translation (from the original French):
Article by Shellopan