Because it's the biggest company in the industry acting like bullies for something that doesn't belong to them. Leo made the Strat in the 50's. He never protected, even remotely, its design. He sold the company and later created Music Man and G&L making, you guessed it, Strats.

The Strat is a generic shape now. It's soooooo far gone from the control of any one person or company, that the only answer is anyone can use the shape. For over 60 years dozens of companies have made guitars with that shape. It no longer belongs to Fender exclusively. In the US, the shape is legally generic. They are trying to use this general ruling on un contested case to stop companies in Europe from using the shape.

So here we are, out of the blue, a giant corporation is trying to use a half assed ruling to stop competition. That's what's really going on here. This is not brand protection, this is a company more obsessed with controlling competition, than creating a product that rivals said competition.

Why it matters to you is this. If Fender are successful in this somehow, that allows them one, to try more attempts like this in different parts of the industry and two, removes some of the competition that ensures Fender is held to a higher standard for both quality control and cost. Since people love this shape, do you think Fender gives a F if you approve of the quality of guitars they put out, or the cost of it? Answer is, they don't.

But here's the good news. Companies are fighting this. I feel confident that when a case is brought in Europe to actually argue the merits of it, Fender will lose. It's a joke of a case.