hollywood hooksett Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 another thing guys, if that paper reads that the maker of bass pro craws are on it i don't see net bait in bass pro for long Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollywood hooksett Posted February 6, 2011 Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 and also net bait has a cope of ri sweet beaver...that one could come back to bite them...they should all play nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted February 6, 2011 Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 I think Ghostbaits Jim nailed it. It's not about stopping others from copying it, it's about being paid a licensing fee, or royalty, or whatever they call it. Ask Gary Yamamoto. He said he's paid a fortune over the years to Gene Larew because Larew had a patent for adding salt to his baits, and sued him and won. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xcite Baits Posted February 9, 2011 Report Share Posted February 9, 2011 While I can't talk about specifics, I can tell you that as a small company you don't want to get involved with a patent dispute. We didn't own the mold for our Flap Jack, we rented it from another company. The owner of that mold actually told me he had a patent on the bait that was issued before Netbait got theirs. I took him for his word and boy was that a mistake. Being new to patent issues, I didn't understand at the time what was all involved.......I do now. Jim said it very well. Don't just do a Google search, you need to hire a patent attorney if you want to play in this game. Yes, that is expensive but not even close to what it could/will cost you. In the long run, it has made us a better company. We now have our own injection machine (just arrived 2 weeks ago!) and we have 4 new baits coming out in the next couple of weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GB GONE Posted February 9, 2011 Report Share Posted February 9, 2011 In the long run, it has made us a better company. We now have our own injection machine (just arrived 2 weeks ago!) and we have 4 new baits coming out in the next couple of weeks. Congrats Lloyd!!!!!!!!! Can't wait to see what you have dreamed up!!!!! Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallmouthaholic Posted February 9, 2011 Report Share Posted February 9, 2011 I spent 6k+ w/ lawyers over a trademark dispute in 1991. My trademark and patent attorney said,"We can win this if we go to court in Washington D.C." I said to him,"What will it cost?" He said 20 K I gave up and changed the name. There is no way a small company can afford legal disputing fees @ today's rates. It's downright foolish to use a trademarked name( eg:Sweet Beaver )or continue producing a bait for sale that has a registered design patent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollywood hooksett Posted February 9, 2011 Report Share Posted February 9, 2011 design a lure, and come up with a unique name.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallmouthaholic Posted February 9, 2011 Report Share Posted February 9, 2011 (edited) design a lure, and come up with a unique name.. Sounds great- then spend the $ to trademark the name on the product until are larger company w/more $ then you objects to the trademark application name that the U.S. trademark and patent office says is clean and not trademarked.That's when the legal bills really start piling up. I speak from an expensive experience A design patent- Excellent-BUT now you have to have the $ to defend the trademark and patent and that can cost mega $. They are currently trying to change the patent laws so you are protected from a foreign company. If they don't,what small company has the $ to sue a Japanese Company for a design patent infringement Edited February 9, 2011 by smallmouthaholic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
