ravenlures Posted February 12, 2014 Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 Does anyone know if there is a patent on the sliding weight in a musky lure. Wayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan Posted February 12, 2014 Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 Wayne, Are you talking about a shifting weight inside the lure that shifts to aid in casting ?..Nathan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravenlures Posted February 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 Nathan Yes thats what I am talking about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan Posted February 13, 2014 Report Share Posted February 13, 2014 They have been around for ever in bass baits..I can't imagine there being a patent on that ...Nathan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravenlures Posted February 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2014 Nathan I really did'nt think so Thanks! I think I will go ahead with my plans for my musky bait, which I hope to make out of a foam, lots of testing to do, first the mold. Wayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdeee Posted February 13, 2014 Report Share Posted February 13, 2014 Sorry Wayne I think you are out of luck. Patent number US 6609326 B2 Rapala owns the patent. I don't think you what to mess with those deep pockets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted February 13, 2014 Report Share Posted February 13, 2014 Wouldn't that depend on what type of patent it was and when it was issuedJdeee? If I remember right design patents are only good for around 15 years and then if the company that filed the patent wants to keep it they have to refile it. Don't know a lot about this topic and not trying to start a war of words. Just interested. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdeee Posted February 13, 2014 Report Share Posted February 13, 2014 (edited) Ben Just copy and paste the number in google and it will bring up the patent It was issued in 2001 so it will be a while before it expires. I think it is 25 years now but I could be wrong it might be only 15 From what I know of patents they are usually worded to cover as much ground as possible and going up against one is almost impossible to win and extremely expensive. Obviously if you make a few baits for yourself and not sell them it's not a problem. Edited February 14, 2014 by Jdeee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravenlures Posted February 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2014 Thanks guys I think I will forget that idea and just use a inplace weight. I will check out the patent but I am not going to mess with the big boys, not worth it. Maybe just for myself. Thanks again Wayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravenlures Posted February 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2014 Here it is, A fishing lure with a movable weight system is provided to allow the anglerto change the center of gravity of the lure depending upon whether the angler iscasting or retrieving. First Claim 1. A fishing lure, comprising:a lure body having an interior channel oriented longitudinally within said body;a plurality of weights configured for movement along said interior channel of said body;a lock mechanism configured to move along said interior channel in conjunction with said plurality of weights; anda retractable boss positioned within said lock mechanism, said boss having an extended position for securing the position of said lock mechanism at the front of the lure during retrieval of the lure and a retracted position for allowing said lock mechanism to move to the rear of the lure for casting. I could not show the picture. Wayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted February 14, 2014 Report Share Posted February 14, 2014 It's hard to make sense of a lot of the legal speak on these things. At least for me anyway. The thing about it though is that Rapala isn't the only company with a weight transfer system like that described in the patent. It could be that Rapala didn't want to spend the money fighting with another company that had comparable monetary resources which would only lead to a lengthy court battle that benefited the lawyers more than it did the plaintiff or the defendant. It could very well be a different matter if it was a small time, guy like most of us, who would go bankrupt trying to defend our point of view. I wouldn't give up on it Wayne, but it would definitely be wise to do more investigating before proceeding to production. Got any lawyer friends who like to fish? Put him in the back of the boat and tell him he's not going back to the dock until he answers some questions. just my Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdeee Posted February 14, 2014 Report Share Posted February 14, 2014 Normally what happens when another company uses a patented idea they can pay a royalty to the patent owner and licence the idea or sometimes they get caught and are forced to pay a royalty for each one they have already sold. But like Ben said you can always investigate further or bring the lawyer out on the boat and threaten him with a swim LOL Why do sharks never attack lawyers? Professional courtesy !!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diemai Posted February 14, 2014 Report Share Posted February 14, 2014 (edited) @ ravenlures It's not about a patent , but a few years ago I had carried out some experiments with timber lures sporting internal weights to improve their casting ability , ........here is the particular thread(if you haven't come across yet ?) , maybe could provide some input ? http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/index.php?/topic/23348-another-lure-design-with-shifting-internal-weights/?hl=+weightshifter%20+lures Good luck with your project , ...greetz , 61diemai Edited February 14, 2014 by diemai Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravenlures Posted February 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2014 Its just not worth it i'll just make for myself, stick with a weight in the back and one up front, why always be looking over my shoulder too old for that, and if I got a lawyer in a boat well I better not say some of you guys just might be lawyers. Thanks to all, great video Diemai. Wayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted February 14, 2014 Report Share Posted February 14, 2014 If you're making it just for yourself, you can do anything. No one is going to find out, or come after you for a homemade, one-of -a-kind lure. It's lures for sale that send up red flags to lawyers. I've made several lures with shifting weights, and never heard a peep from anybody. And all of the knockoffs from China have moveable weight casting systems, so it would be hard for Rapala to defend their patent against them all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diemai Posted February 14, 2014 Report Share Posted February 14, 2014 If you're making it just for yourself, you can do anything. No one is going to find out, or come after you for a homemade, one-of -a-kind lure. It's lures for sale that send up red flags to lawyers. .............I can only second to this , ....greetz , diemai Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted February 15, 2014 Report Share Posted February 15, 2014 Its just not worth it i'll just make for myself, stick with a weight in the back and one up front, why always be looking over my shoulder too old for that, and if I got a lawyer in a boat well I better not say some of you guys just might be lawyers. Thanks to all, great video Diemai. Wayne If you decide to get a lawyer in the boat just be sure to make him answer your questions BEFORE you drown him. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted February 15, 2014 Report Share Posted February 15, 2014 If you decide to get a lawyer in the boat just be sure to make him answer your questions BEFORE you drown him. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan Posted February 16, 2014 Report Share Posted February 16, 2014 There are a lot of other companies other than Rapala building baits with a shifting weight system..Just about every jerk bait has it...Nathan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted February 16, 2014 Report Share Posted February 16, 2014 Yeah, I think Nathan's right. Most manufacturers of plastic baits employ shifting weights to improve castability so I think it's a non-issue. There aren't any innovations in hard baits that aren't copied by other manufacturers within a few months and seldom if ever do you see any legal action - it just doesn't make business sense for a patent holder to sue when overseas companies will be copying an innovation almost as soon as it hits store shelves, unless the copy is so exact to be "patently obvious" - pun intended. One case I heard of was the Chatterbait, which was originally manufactured by a small company. They were sending threatening letters to anyone who put copies on the market. The result was to inhibit copies for a few months, but their "bladed jig" was inundated by big bait manufacturers in the U.S. putting out similar products (but not so similar that a court case was rational) within 6 months. Then Chatterbait got sold to a larger company. Same story with the "Alabama Rig" - how many companies are producing umbrella rigs for bass fishing nowadays? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-Mac Posted February 16, 2014 Report Share Posted February 16, 2014 Give it a fancy name and then no one will notice. I think as long as you don't say the exact title Rapala uses then it wouldn't be an issue. As mentioned previously, many lures companies are using weight transfer systems. How about Mass Boomerang System.... I'll be expecting my quarterly royalties Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravenlures Posted February 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2014 You know I just will do it and don't tell anyone that its in the bait not hard to figure that out. Thanks to all. Wayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdeee Posted February 16, 2014 Report Share Posted February 16, 2014 (edited) That's it, can't sue you for nothing Edited February 16, 2014 by Jdeee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 Call it The Mortgage Banker, and you'll never get caught! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
