ibock99 Posted October 14, 2008 Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 I was wanting to copy a soft plastic minnow made by loves lures, with the intention of selling them. They no longer make one that we use, and I planned to have Collins Customs make a mold that is 1/8" longer than the original. Would there be any copyright infriging, if it did not fit in the original Loves Lure mold? Don't want to get in trouble here, so figured I would ask. Thanks, Ibock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GB GONE Posted October 14, 2008 Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 Lots of info on this if you do a search on patents in the soft plastics area. Short answer is, we are not patent lawyers so the answers you get are going to be from lots of research and some opinion. From your details, I would say you will not have an issue with infringement. There may not even be a patent of any type on the bait you speak of. If you want to be guaranteed, pay $300- $600 to have a patent search done and be sure. I can give you a contact name of a TU member that has patents and search patents. He is very proficient in the fishing area of patent searches. I have used him in the past with satisfaction. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hookfin Posted October 14, 2008 Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 I have done a little research in this area. It is best you find a good reliable source that can tell you if you are getting into trouble or not. I don't like to use someone else's designs, I love making my own originals, and if they are originals then they fall into copyright law. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GB GONE Posted October 14, 2008 Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 Very true on the originals. You can't get caught up if the design is yours. Patent infringement and copyright infringement are 2 very different things. Both require different paperwork, etc to acquire and defend if infringed. Again, if you have any concerns, seek a professional to be sure as there is a lot of misinformation regarding these topics and I have spent some hard earned cash to find out many of the differences and the truths. Good luck!!!! PS A cursory search of the bait you speak of shows no patent associated with the design however there still may be a design patent on a portion of the bait such as Zoom has with the "claws" on the Speed Craw and other baits. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
