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I F'n despise Leofoto and other Chinese knockoff specialists

Are they legally being sold in the US? Having a Lawsuit with the company/distributor?
Patenting RRS product?
 
Are they legally being sold in the US? Having a Lawsuit with the company/distributor?
Patenting RRS product?

Well not if they don't hold a patent or trademark.

The marking of an article as patented when it is not in fact patented is against the law and subjects the offender to a penalty. Some persons mark articles sold with the terms “Patent Applied For” or “Patent Pending.” These phrases have no legal effect, but only give information that an application for patent has been filed in the USPTO. The protection afforded by a patent does not start until the actual grant of the patent. False use of these phrases or their equivalent is prohibited.
 
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I do wonder how much this actually hurts sale though. The guys buying a knock off doesn't typically have the budget for a real one... he'd be buying a cheap tripod no matter what and the serious shoot knows that these are knock off and isn't their buying junk.

Well... this is just a single example, but I was having a chat with my boss last night about photography stuff. He started telling me about the new Leofoto tripod that he bought, and then went on about how maybe it isn't quite an RRS, but he likely wouldn't buy RRS in the future because the Leofoto stuff was so much cheaper... and this is coming from a guy who is at zero loss for funding. If he wants it, he buys it, no questions asked.

There's a lot of reasons why I'd personally save my pennies and buy RRS over Leofoto, but sheer price vs perceived performance is going to sway a good number of buyers.
 
Did Hog Saddle not develop the rifle clamping device before anyone else?

Yes, they just don't like it when somebody is better at copying than they are.

They are no strangers to copying someone else's stuff, they're just mad it happened to them.

He did. I talked to him about 5 years ago, told Josh how I thought it could be improved. how Id like to do it if he didn't. He didn't so we went forward and didn't break any laws or rules.

edit: I am not upset with anyone making tripods, or ballheads, or the rails. . I am talking, trying to exactly imitate the product for the sake of taking money away from that product.

Maybe you can explain the inspiration for your leveling wedge kit. Strange how similar it is to the Arisaka one:

gku3d5o.png
 
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Yes, they just don't like it when somebody is better at copying than they are.

They are no strangers to copying someone else's stuff, they're just mad it happened to them.



Maybe you can explain the inspiration for your leveling wedge kit. Strange how similar it is to the Arisaka one:

gku3d5o.png
you mean SPUHR?

i'd hardly call a VYCE a copy of a hog waddle though
 
Yes, they just don't like it when somebody is better at copying than they are.

They are no strangers to copying someone else's stuff, they're just mad it happened to them.



Maybe you can explain the inspiration for your leveling wedge kit. Strange how similar it is to the Arisaka one:

gku3d5o.png

Pretty sure Spuhr did it first....
 
Sure then, Spuhr.

Does it make it any less of a copy?
so then Remington should sure every custom action company who took a basic design and changes a shitload of stuff to make it better?

and by that token back to the early 1800's when the first bolt action was made
 
what do u think Trump has been talking about when talking about china stealing our technology? China fucking copies everything they can. They invent nothing. I have Arleness accessories on my HD. U can find chinese made ones on ebay that even has their stamp
 
so then Remington should sure every custom action company who took a basic design and changes a shitload of stuff to make it better?

and by that token back to the early 1800's when the first bolt action was made

Gonna need you to explain how the RRS Wedge is somehow better than the Spuhr or Arisaka wedges.

They literally took the same design and lasered their logo on it.

The same as LeoFoto did.
 
Gonna need you to explain how the RRS Wedge is somehow better than the Spuhr or Arisaka wedges.

They literally took the same design and lasered their logo on it.

The same as LeoFoto did.
im talking about the vyce and hog saddle not a wedge
 
I have no idea about that. Is Maglula American made? One problem is American companies that go to China for manufacturing which opens another avenue for unauthorized copies..... Regardless, Amazon sucks, they are the largest marketplace for counterfeit goods. We have been fighting counterfeits for 5-6 years and today if anyone posts up a counterfeit that is marked with our trademark "Atlas" we submit it and it is removed. We are the manufacturers not a consumer. HOWEVER that seller takes another picture of the back, not engraved side and posts it back up and Amazon does nothing. Amazon sucks they get zero of my dollars.
Maglula is made in Israel so it is not just US made products being copied.
 
”Free Market” doesn’t mean free-for-all. It means the government acts as referee and sets the rules that apply the same to everyone. Then the referee does not act as a player in the game. China is a communist oligarchy where the government IS the businesses. There is nothing free about it. It’s pretty much communism for all the work and workers, but all profits go to the families of the Chinese Communist Party leadership, which really have become the nobility in a feudalist system.
Feudalism is really the most accurate way to describe China today. There are serfs and lords.
 
Relatively cheap design patents are probably better for mitigating stuff like this from a whack a mole perspective. Not sure what amazon’s process is but one might be able to use them similar to a trademark because any idiot can look at one and go, well, that other thing looks exactly the same so they must be in the right. By relatively cheap it’s ~3-4k vs the 12-15k for a utility filing, and that’s with 100 or so variations in appearance.
 
The problem is... neither China nor Amazon nor eBay give a fuck.

More or less, but Amazon at least has processes by which you can report and frustrate with relatively minimal effort. They’re not going to care in isolation though, as it’s not their job to enforce your IP. As I said, whack-a-mole.
 
As you say, it's a very important distinction between the two.

Before I could care less if people were spending their dollars on Leofoto. Now that they are blatantly copying another brand, I can't support that in any capacity.

Agreed. I have a leofoto tripod and ballhead. Didn’t have an issue with it because it’s noticeably heavier than RRS and the ballhead is a different design.

Buy, after seeing this, I’ll be switching over to RRS out of principle.
 
Maglula is made in Israel so it is not just US made products being copied.

Ahhh, ok. Yes I know counterfeiting is a global problem. One issue is companies that use chinese manufacturing to produce their products, say Nike for example, so all the Nike technology is there. Then these same manufacturers or associated manufacturers produce "gray" or "unauthorized" copies of the Nike product. I thought "Magula" was US product and why I asked if it was US manufactured. I have little sympathy for any company that exports manufacturing to china and then has chinese counterfeits to contend with.
 
Ahhh, ok. Yes I know counterfeiting is a global problem. One issue is companies that use chinese manufacturing to produce their products, say Nike for example, so all the Nike technology is there. Then these same manufacturers or associated manufacturers produce "gray" or "unauthorized" copies of the Nike product. I thought "Magula" was US product and why I asked if it was US manufactured. I have little sympathy for any company that exports manufacturing to china and then has chinese counterfeits to contend with.



IP is tough to protect. People have to keep in mind that patents are only as good as you're willing to defend them... defense is EXPENSIVE. The intermittent wipers trials are a great example of this.

You've got no patent then it's gloves off... especially if you off shore it.
 
What RRS is facing is called Wanton Infringement.....the item LeoP makes looks and functions identically to the RRS item.
If they don't have at least a design patent, they're screwed
If they have patents but don't want to defend them, they're screwed.

Patents expire.... So the Chinese gunpowder argument isn't a thing.
Patents don't prevent anyone from improving an existing patented design and seeking patents on those improvements.

Nike spent a lot of time and money producing airbags for their shoes in the USA - this is/was the key technical component of Nike Air products. These were shipped to Asian manufacturers to be installed. They also set a shit ton of money aside to actively pursue cases against anyone who knocks their shit off or infringes on their trademarks, design and utility patents. So does Intel, GM and any other company that can afford to.
 
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It is hardly free market when one takes your name, lists your patents, and lists a false country of manufacture. Which one is the counterfeit? Packaging was the same. They both even list the same US, Can, and Israel patent numbers on the opposite side. Packaging was similar although I did not keep either. One does everything it was supposed to do, the other does not. One was purchased at Amazon, the other at a reputable gun shop.
IMG_0520.JPG
IMG_0764.JPG

BTW - the one on the left is the counterfeit.
 
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I own an RRS SOAR setup, and am glad i paid the extra money for American-made.

"The quality will remain long after the price is forgotten."

My only nitpick with them is, why do you charge me almost $20 to ship one tiny little adapter plate (B76) to my house?
 
so i guess i'm a little confused, are u saying Hog saddle and the pig field tripod are copies?
 
I keep seeing tripods mentioned in this thread and I'm wondering if RRS holds a design patents for a tripod?

I completely see and agree with the ball head infringements and labeling w/ SOAR but why is everyone bagging on the tripods?
 
it's like about anything though, about anything are looking to purchase, u can find a dozen of the exact same "design" but if u change anything just a little , it's not considered copy infringement from what i've always understood. Maybe i'm wrong.
 
Is there a patent for a "tripod"?

The tripod, per se, has existed for before even cameras existed. It's not patentable. One could place a design patent on a particular look/feel for a tripod. It appears that RRS holds multiple patents related to tripods - specifics about their designs. You'll have to read through them and see if anything jumps out. I don't have a Leofoto tripod, so I can't assess if Leofoto is violating any of the patents I see.
 
I keep seeing tripods mentioned in this thread and I'm wondering if RRS holds a design patents for a tripod?

I completely see and agree with the ball head infringements and labeling w/ SOAR but why is everyone bagging on the tripods?

The ones mentioning the tripods are mainly suggesting they may stop using them because leofoto is knocking off the other items.

It’s hard to claim you don’t support ripoffs when you buy the stuff that isn’t ripped off made by the same ripoff manufacturer. Supporting a company is supporting a company.
 
I'm NOT saying to purchase Leofoto tripods. I'm asking if RRS holds any specific tripod patents that are also being copied by Leofoto or any other tripod manufacturer. The examples shown in the OP are clearly copies, at least to the naked eye.

I would suggest looking to Horus Vision as they seem to be able to keep a tight leash on their intellectual property as I'm not seeing any copies of those anywhere. At least I haven't seen any.
 
I'm NOT saying to purchase Leofoto tripods. I'm asking if RRS holds any specific tripod patents that are also being copied by Leofoto or any other tripod manufacturer. The examples shown in the OP are clearly copies, at least to the naked eye.

I would suggest looking to Horus Vision as they seem to be able to keep a tight leash on their intellectual property as I'm not seeing any copies of those anywhere. At least I haven't seen any.
thats cause people take the horus and made it better
 
thats cause people take the horus and made it better

He's well known for protecting his intellectual property. It's why it's $300-$400 more for one of their reticles vs. any other. Whether or not you prefer it or think there are better, I do and likely wouldn't pay the premium for one, is your decision. My point is it is well protected.
 
Ahhh, ok. Yes I know counterfeiting is a global problem. One issue is companies that use chinese manufacturing to produce their products, say Nike for example, so all the Nike technology is there. Then these same manufacturers or associated manufacturers produce "gray" or "unauthorized" copies of the Nike product. I thought "Magula" was US product and why I asked if it was US manufactured. I have little sympathy for any company that exports manufacturing to china and then has chinese counterfeits to contend with.

Thank you for reminding me that I need to buy a CAL.
 
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Watched a show about this on Netflix called Broken.

It talked about the immense task of enforcing customs and stopping Chinese counterfeit goods. Although it was about cosmetics it transcends all industries of consumer goods.

NOTHING will change unless manufacturers can get a class action lawsuit aimed at Amazon, Ebay, or any of these sites that facilitate the easy sale of counterfeit goods.
 
Watched a show about this on Netflix called Broken.

It talked about the immense task of enforcing customs and stopping Chinese counterfeit goods. Although it was about cosmetics it transcends all industries of consumer goods.

NOTHING will change unless manufacturers can get a class action lawsuit aimed at Amazon, Ebay, or any of these sites that facilitate the easy sale of counterfeit goods.
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Enforcement need not not apply if your own government employees inside Beltway sucks the Ballsack of Amazon, Ebay, Nike, GM, Walmart...etc. and impeach the POTUS who rocks the boat and slows business as usual .
https://www.winston.com/en/thought-leadership/the-current-status-of-enforcing-us-judgments-in-china.html

how many years in your life have you seen this writing on a label ?, It's a western institution and never going away . A fat wallet kicks the shit out of conscience and consequences .
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ChinkyTed.jpg

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Enforcement need not not apply if your own government employees inside Beltway sucks the Ballsack of Amazon, Ebay, Nike, GM, Walmart...etc. and impeach the POTUS who rocks the boat and slows business as usual .
https://www.winston.com/en/thought-leadership/the-current-status-of-enforcing-us-judgments-in-china.html

how many years in your life have you seen this writing on a label ?, It's a western institution and never going away . A fat wallet kicks the shit out of conscience and consequences .
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View attachment 7221192
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Cant say that I remember ever seeing that label before.

Just sayin, your company alone cant take on the goliaths but get enough companies together and it may be able change things. The blatant in your face infringements show you its only going to get worse.

Imagine if you set the presidence that any site facilitating the sale of counterfeit goods could be held accountable.