Richard Prager Posted December 8, 2007 Report Share Posted December 8, 2007 Go to the freezer section and buy a bag of crinkle cuts, let them dry real well and dip! Pick me up a blueberry pie while you're at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bladesandbaits Posted December 8, 2007 Report Share Posted December 8, 2007 Here we go guys..... A great friend and fishing buddy called me and said he called Zoom (why could it not have been another company!!) to get some french fry baits in a certain color that works every year on bed bass. They have used this color successfully when nothing else will work. Zoom said "Sorry, the color has been discontinued, have a nice day!" He is beside himself and has 15 of the baits left. Should I copy the baits for him in the color that has been discontinued or tell him sorry, you are out of luck!!!! And the thread goes on................................... Jim Jim, Send me one of the French Fry baits or tell me the color and I can get Zoom to make them. Regards, Blades Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GB GONE Posted December 8, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2007 If they have a patent on the bait, then don't make the bait. Why not find or design a bait with the same characteristics, and make that bait the color your friend desires. A 4 inch stick bait in the same color should do the trick. The bait is NOT patented and I already have a french fry bait that is different from everyone elses. He wants something similar to the Zoom french fry. I am sure my bait would work but that is not what he wants as the customer. I could probably get Zoom to do them also but what happens next year and the year after that. More colors get canceled due to low sales and more come to me for them. I am NOT planning on selling them to anyone else, probably will give them to him at no cost also. That is not the point though as even if the baits are free, isn't it wrong to copy the shape somewhat and the color. The gray area just got grayer!! Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tubinator Posted December 8, 2007 Report Share Posted December 8, 2007 Do it. And while your at it, can you make me a 1963 split window corvette in candy apple red please? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinamike Posted December 8, 2007 Report Share Posted December 8, 2007 Jim If you go to your local grocers the store brand of green beans are usually located beside the Green Giant green beans. If you go to Lowes, you can find the channel locks pliers right beside Lowes Cobalt pliers. In our hometown we have a GM dealership and the same family owns a Kia dealership right beside each other. Why should the bait business be any different? Grayer and grayer:? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickcalderone Posted December 8, 2007 Report Share Posted December 8, 2007 WAIT! Is ZOOM allowed to use the word "french fry"? Wasn't that term invented by someone else many many years ago? I mean, technically, it is wrong...right? It is refering to a crinkle textured slim rectangular shaped object that has already been produced and packaged...hmmm. So, legally, couldn't the food company's sue ZOOM for this blatant copyright violation? I suppose technically, ANY lure company selling a "TUBE" would be in direct violation also...I mean, a tube is a tube...right? And the word "tube" has been around for centuries... Nick p.s.- 152 Street, my wife made apple pie today...you want ice cream on that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Prager Posted December 8, 2007 Report Share Posted December 8, 2007 Apple pie and ice cream sounds great............isn't there a patent on that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GB GONE Posted December 8, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2007 How about this also... The customer wants to have the baits for free but he is buying the mold for me! He is asking I pour the baits just for him (and me if I want some). Now....lets talk gray!!!! Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tubinator Posted December 8, 2007 Report Share Posted December 8, 2007 I don't understand your problem with this Jim, Is it the bait itself your having a problem with copying or is it the color? Or is it a combination of both? If it is the bait "french fry", then tell your friend you will do your rendition of the bait in that "special" color. If your having a problem (morally) with copying the color then tell him he will have to find someone with less moral character then yourself to do the bait. I personally don't think there is a gray line in this case, because the bait seems to be public domain, and the color, well picasso probably copyrighted it before he died, so I don't think anybody else is going to screw with you on it anyway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattlures Posted December 9, 2007 Report Share Posted December 9, 2007 colors can not be protected and I dont think they can be original. They can not be owned. Only the names of colors can be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Prager Posted December 9, 2007 Report Share Posted December 9, 2007 Send me the molds and I'll pour the baits, I'll send them to a friend in Japan and he'll forward it to your buddy. Then delete this thread so there is no paper trail! Sorry, Jim I just had to do it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GB GONE Posted December 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2007 No problem on this one tubeman. Zoom has no rights to the color or bait design, in this case. Just illustrating (not justifying) the need for baits in similar styles to be available to the anglers. Even in similar colors that other companies have. Early on I did my homework and realized that most bigger companies had to limit there color selections. I did not. I offered many basic colors BUT you could add any flake you wanted. Really made for an unlimited color selection. Customized to your desire! No large company could compete with that for sure! Many wanted the colors in styles that were popular so I let the customers tell me where to go with styles. I did a rough estimate of this past 8 weeks. My best selling bait was....Surprise... The 3" wacky bait that I designed for a friend in Michigan. While there are other wacky baits on the market, no one had anything less than 5 1/2" and all were designed symmetrical while mine is asymmetrical. Proves Matt's point to a degree. Best color was green pumpkin with black a close second..... My swims will overtake those baits soon but the originality of the other bait made it popular to anglers due to it being something neither the angler or the fish had seen. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova Posted December 9, 2007 Report Share Posted December 9, 2007 Jim; knuckle down; buckle down; do it, do it, do it. lol Go for it buddy. www.novalures.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senkosam Posted December 9, 2007 Report Share Posted December 9, 2007 Jim, you have two baits that are currently unavailable on your site. Any reason? Seems all you have to do for the speed worm is to change the name. Not sure about the FF except by definition it means to deep fry in fat. LOL Anyone remember the color called electric blue? Bass Pro had it in many soft plastics years ago and if you used the name today, I doubt there would be a problem using the name or duplicating the color combo. Zoom can come up with any color they want, but duplicating it isn't illegal. I suppose the name can be a trademark, so change the name. All the big boys use the firetiger name, but it started out being used for crankbaits years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bountiful Waters Posted December 9, 2007 Report Share Posted December 9, 2007 Lure Craft has an Electric Blue and I use it in a shad laminate I pour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinamike Posted December 10, 2007 Report Share Posted December 10, 2007 Jim go for it! Call it the greasy tater. A little worm oil ought to add to the effect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senkosam Posted December 10, 2007 Report Share Posted December 10, 2007 LC's electric blue is different. The color combo used by BPS was light purple plastic with .015 blue flake. It's still a great color! June Bug has been a standard for years and no one has a claim on it. The first firetiger that I first saw used, was by Riverside. It consisted of a combo of pearlized colors: florescent orange belly, lime back and chartreuse with .015 and .040 square black flake. The whole bait was second dipped (or injected most likely) with clear plastic. Old Bayside and Zoom adopted the exact color process (or were copied) in tubes, grubs and trick worms. The Fire Tiger Trick Worm and grub are phenomenal (but not so great in tubes)! I'd buy firetiger Trick Worms from anyone if I could find them. Go for it Jim. Our business is to cater to the obsessed when no one else will. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GB GONE Posted December 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2007 Jim, you have two baits that are currently unavailable on your site.Any reason? I am soooooo busy, I can not pour enough to keep up with customers so I have halted all baits except the shads, minnows and frogs for now. I have NO desire to duplicate the speed worm on my end. I was just curious how ya'll would feel if the bait is an exact copy (or as close as Del gets) to the french fry but the customer buys the molds and I pour for free. Plus, no sale to the public as I have a great french fry I call a Zombie Digit!!! I think this is the exact reason I have some baits that resemble others. Anglers want them, not because they resemble other baits but because I will do off colors and custom colors that the big companies shun. Heck, I am just like you guys, I'll do 1 bag just for the challenge of getting the color down!!! I also do not take other baits and try to match the colors exactly. I try to make them better by adding other flake colors to get a better response from the fish. Can't wait until spring and my buddy whacks them on these baits in my version of the color he loves!!! Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GB GONE Posted December 14, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2007 Just an update guys...I got my letter last night. Zoom claims I was using the name Tricky worm. As a point of fact, I was not. I actually used Trick Worm for a while. As we all agree, their claim to their name stands in firm legal ground. I am drafting a response and humble apology. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
