We would like to inform all readers again that the Decap Bros. of
Herentals, Belgium, are working on a new web site, and that you can
find us now at http://www.decap.be/

People who visited our new site may know that we inform our visitors
about a legal problem within the Decap family.  This is about our legal
rights to use the name "Gebroeders Decap Herentals", or in English,
"The Decap Bros. from Herentals".  It has never been, and it will never
be our intention to mislead anybody about our history.

As the story goes, our grandfather, Frans Decap, is one of the original
brothers who started the company "Gebroeders Decap Antwerpen" in early
1900.  About 1932-33 he left this group to start his own company in
Herentals.  He had one son, Francois Decap, who has 5 sons which are we:
Frank, Tony, Peter, Eric and Sammy Decap.

One of the other brothers of Francois had one son, Albert Decap, who
is one of the best musicians, in our judgment, for our type of organs.
He also left the company "Gebroeders Decap Antwerpen" to work on his
own.  He has one son.

Another brother, Camiel Decap, ended up as the owner of the company,
and he registered the name "Gebroeders Decap" in some way (I do not
know exactly how), so this name is now something like "Coca-Cola"!

Camiel's daughter, Martha, has one son, Roger Mostmans, who is now
the sole heir and leading the company.  As we are working on the web
site and using the name "Gebroeders Decap Herentals" -- which seems
to us most logical, as we still don't like to be called sisters --
this has attracted their attention.

We feel that the word Brothers is so common that anybody should be able
to use it.  And our last name is Decap -- that we cannot help.  So if
possible, we will call ourselves "The Decap Brothers from Herentals".
But we respect the law, and we shall honor the judge's decision if it
comes to that.

Another aspect of this case is not so easy to explain.  We have done
a lot of research over the years, and continue to do so, since quality
does not necessarily become better over the years.

If my grandfather was an experienced organ builder, who is to say that
I am?  I feel that this is a very elusive matter.  Is it not so that
the quality built today is of more concern to the customer than all
this other talk about what used to be?

As it stands, our work includes two new 121-key Decap organs over the
last few years, at the great satisfaction of the customers -- you could
check any time.  No other company I know of can say the same, no matter
what happened 60 or 70 years ago.

As for the copyright to build an organ, or a robot organ, I can only
look at the history in the organ building.  I can not think of one pipe
invented by the Decap family.  The key frame, although very well built
and upgraded by Decap, is an invention of someone else; just check the
records.  A robot organ was built before any Decap thought about it.

This list goes on, but I think the reader gets the idea.  I can show
adaptations (we would never call it inventions, and surely would not
talk about copyright) made by us, that are copied by others.  We never
thought about complaining.

Sometimes we really wish that our name was different, so that we would
not have to deal with this unpleasant matter which has been going on
for 70 years.  We cannot help that our ancestors did what they did.
Our policy is just the opposite: to try to work together, as two know
more than one, and give the customer the benefit.  If our family in
Antwerp is honest, they will admit that we have contacted them on
several occasions to overcome this old dispute.  Let me assure you that
it is not so nice to meet only at funerals.

Anyway, not one customer has ordered from our company before he was
given all details about our history.  (Does anyone believe that a
charade of this magnitude could be sustained for any length of time?)
No customer has ever changed his mind.

We are not going to fight this battle on the MMDigest, and people
who are interested can check our web site for further updates.  We
apologize for any distress or unpleasantness this history may cause
or have caused.  We wish the "Gebroeders Decap Antwerpen" good luck
with their web site, and hope they can find it in their heart someday
to accept us as we are.

Tony Decap
Gebroeders Decap Herentals, Belgium
http://www.decap.be/

 [ Tony, I hope that your relations with your relations (!) will be
 [ as friendly as your letter!  Since MMDers are acquainted with
 [ "Gebrueder Bruder", we will refer to the two Decap firms in Belgium
 [ by the Dutch names: Gebroeders Decap Herentals and Gebroeders Decap
 [ Antwerpen.  Thanks for writing.  -- Robbie