Infor from MMC

2019 new item brochure page 136.

English translate.

26.03.2019 - Cancellations and replacements for some Märklin and Trix novelties

Cancellation and replacement for 36206 / T22286 / T22289
Cancellation and replacement for 36206 / T22286 / T22289

Unfortunately Märklin has to cancel the novelty of the electric locomotive BR 380, CD, ep. VI, advertising locomotive "KAROQ" (article no. 36206 / T22286 / T22289) announced at the fair in Nuremberg. The already granted approval for the production of this locomotive was regrettably withdrawn by the licensor. For this reason, these items will soon be replaced in the dealer backlogs by the new version with item numbers 36209 (for 36206) and T22298 (for T22289). The article T22286 will be canceled without replacement.

The new items are a locomotive of the 380 CD series in blue / silver livery with new company number (380 001).

How common is this sort of license issue? Seems a very strange way to do business, but maybe its the norm.
If I'd need a license to do a production run, I'd get the license for the production run, and once granted that license should not be revocable; a deal was done.

The issue of licences to model manufacturers is all about protecting the brand name.
A major (or any) corporation does not want its name mis-represented or shown in a bad light.
For the most part, model manufacturers have no wish to do anything other than represent the brand faithfully.
If a dildo manufacturer wanted a licence to use the DB AG logo, I very much doubt they would get permission.

I have first hand knowledge of Union Pacific Railroad, when their legal department suddenly got all conscientious in the early 1990s to protect their rights as an owner.
Our club Union Pacific Model Railroad Club in Brisbane received a letter asking us to show cause why we should use the name.
After our submission we got a reply with a style manual (100s of pages thick) giving us permission to use the name so long as we strictly followed the manual in any artwork or promotion.

Kimball

This thing UP did is a legal requirement. If one owns a registered trade mark or copyright (or patent), in the US and most likely elsewhere the same principles apply, then one is OBLIGATED that if you see your trademark/copyrighted work/patent being used without your permission, you must take action to stop the unlicensed use. If you don't take action, your claim to your trademark/copyright/patent can get cancelled.

So lots of companies in the modern era are now pursuing protection of their intellectual property much more vigorously.

Another example is the recent case of LEGO and "Held der Steine", a YouTuber who owned a store that sold LEGOs, and was trying to protect the logo for his store and channel with the title "Held der Steine" and a plastic brick in the background. LEGO holds the rights to the mark that is that style of 2x2 and 2x3 brick as a trademark, and as such had to protect it and issue a cease-and-desist request to the guy.