Suppressors Otter Creek Cease and Desist

TheBigCountry

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  • Dec 9, 2013
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    From Instagram. Sounds like Otter Creek got smacked with a sense and desist by PTR/Centre Firearms who claim to have patented 3D Printed Cans.
     

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    The patent dates back to 2013 and the claims are pretty broad. I don’t think people are taking this seriously, when at least to me, it seems like they have a case, provided people don’t have evidence of publicly disclosed prototypes that predate the patent.

    1. A monolithic noise suppression device for use with a firearm, said device comprising:
    a body having an outermost external surface of the noise suppression device and an internal surface;
    a plurality of internal chambers; and
    a core comprising one or more baffles having space between the baffles forming the plurality of internal chambers, seamlessly connected to the internal surface of the body,

    wherein the noise suppression device includes no joints, seams, or any formerly separate pieces within any of the body, the core, and the one or more baffles.
     
    And just like that, not interested in any PTR cans regardless of their price/performance.

    I support IP law but shaking people down with such a broad scope and no real ingenuity... no thanks. How many different 3D printed suppressors were shown off at SHOT this year?
     
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    typically with patent lawsuits there are two options:

    1) show that your product does not have the same features that are in the patent.
    2) show that they should have not received the patent in the first place (lack of prior art, other products in use at the time, etc. etc).

    guessing the smart money is on #2. I don't see how that patent will stand in this case. but I'm not a lawyer, but had to deal with patent issues in the industry in the past.
    if you are bored:




    big thing to me is these were filed around 2016-2017. When did the first 3d printed suppressors hit the market? from my brief google-fu it looks like 2015 they were being made and tested.


    typically you can't patent something that is already being made by someone else unless you have made significant changes to the product to warrant a patent. Anyone can patent anything, but it's how it stands up to legal scrutiny that matters.

    But not a good look for them (PTR) at this point.
     
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    typically with patent lawsuits there are two options:

    1) show that your product does not have the same features that are in the patent.
    2) show that they should have not received the patent in the first place (lack of prior art, other products in use at the time, etc. etc).

    guessing the smart money is on #2. I don't see how that patent will stand in this case. but I'm not a lawyer, but had to deal with patent issues in the industry in the past.
    if you are bored:




    big thing to me is these were filed around 2016-2017. When did the first 3d printed suppressors hit the market? from my brief google-fu it looks like 2015 they were being made and tested.


    typically you can't patent something that is already being made by someone else unless you have made significant changes to the product to warrant a patent. Anyone can patent anything, but it's how it stands up to legal scrutiny that matters.

    But not a good look for them (PTR) at this point.
    We were selling 3D printed cans in about 15 I forget the make it was a short fat can

    Edit- Delta P Brevis
     
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    Brevis-P rings a bell…

    ETA---yep, Delta_P They had a triangle with a P in the middle....model was the Brevis. Looked like a grenadier with that thing on the end. BUT---it was cool that were 3D printing them....giver them props for that.
     
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    Reactions: akmike47
    Those aren't manufacturing processes 😉
    Correct on the Kahles bit. But they basically simply patented a specification, like car with an eight speed transmission with 400+ HP. Which shouldn’t have become a patent in the first place.

    At least according to @koshkin

    No comment on the LMT patent. Don’t know enough about the patent nor the idea’s prior history etc. to comment intelligently. All I know is they made/make a monolithic upper.
     
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    Reactions: BurtG
    I didn't think you could patent a manufacturing process, only a design.
    That's how it was when I took IP law late 80s. I don't work in IP stuff but I pay mild attention and I have noticed USPTO is basically out to lunch these days, allowing patents on things not patentable.

    When I took the class, the big "non-patentable" that recently was under discussion (mid 1980s) was microbes (small single-cell or multi-cell plant or bacteria) that were created in a lab for petroleum spill munching. Debate was whether you could claim a patent on an organism; the company/scientist said "we made it in a lab thus we did the necessary patentable mechanical work," and the argument was fuzzy and kooky.

    Before I took the class, like anyone else I used the word "patent" as catch-all for intellectual property protection. In the class I learned that you can get patents, copyrights, and protection for what is called "trade dress" -- a vague concept relating to how something is marketed, packaging and images and the brand or its icon/character.

    The people claiming 3d sinter printing process is theirs alone because of a single application, they are mistaken but if they have deep pockets they can put OCL through the wringer. I would mark this as economic and legal battling by other suppressor makers who feel intruded upon by OCL and its success.
     
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    Reactions: lash
    Why did otter creek even encourage entering an NDA?

    They should’ve counter sued on the basis of business torts and invalidity.
    I spent most of my career in white collar business litigation. The angry dog approach may appeal to a TV sense of justice/litigation but I have not often seen it win. It tends to make the client feel good while harming the client's position in the eyes of the other attorneys and any judge who may hear the matter.

    I say this as a generic, I know zip/zero/nada about what OCL is facing here and I wouldn't hazard a guess based on i-gram posts etc.
     
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    Reactions: Smokeshot
    Deadair, Unknown Supressors, CGS, Hux, Banish and others all 3d print titanium supressors. I don't see cease and desist notices to them. This has to be deeper than the supposed patent on manufacturing process. Since the letter eludes to a previously discussed partnership, perhaps some design work and 3rd party manufacturing occurred prior to OCL having their own manufacturing in place. Maybe they feel some their IP went into the design of the can that OCL is now selling. If these terms and procedures weren't navigated legally prior to this, that's on PTR for not protecting their own IP prior to their partnership I'd think.
     
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    Reactions: flogxal
    Whenever someone in that situation has a later regret, or later observation of "not enough self-protection" and they try to pin that on the other person/entity, it rarely works out well in the end. Unless the other side's lawyer sucks donkey doo-dads.