Oberheim Trademark Returns to Tom Oberheim

Music Tribe, holding company for Behringer and others, follows Gibson’s move a couple of years ago

Technically, the worldwide rights to the Oberheim trademark are now back with the original company’s founder.

Some history:

– Tom Oberheim starts Oberheim Electronics in 1970, which goes on to produce a string of famous instruments that we all know.

– They go bankrupt in 1985, and the bank sells off its assets. Gibson buys the rights to the Obheim name and produces products with its brand.

– Tom Oberheim comes out with the first of several updated SEM (Synthesizer Expander Module) instruments in 2009, based on the 1974 original. (See here and here.)

– 2019, Tom Oberheim reacquires all the Oberheim trademarks in the US and a few other countries. Music Tribe Global Brands (holding company for Behringer, Tannoy, TC Electronic, Klark Teknik, and others) owns the registrations for the Oberheim name in several other countries.

– August 3, 2021: Synth and Software gets a press release from Oberheim.com announcing this story. It includes quotes from Uli Behringer, CEO of Music Tribe, saying it was the right thing to do.

What does the storied synth company have in store for us?