RAP4's got some cease and desist letters to write (DMAG patent infringement)

[pbjosh]

Sorry, skipped a bit:

On the issue of 'Prior Art' the Machofire D63 was a magfed design. Vintage Rex to the rescue:





1994. I wanted one, but being in Alaska I kinda wrote it off.

[Nightmareinc]

...The iPhone/Android example is an interesting one and I tend to agree with your side of the discussion. But, I will offer this counter point. iPhone app developers have to innovate just as much or more to keep the iPhone users happy enough not to bail for an Android based device...

I agree with your entire replay. Just had to add a outlook to the counter point you made.

I had a teacher tell me once, think of two boat builder. Each man builds a boat, man 1's boat stays afloat. man 2's boat starts to take on water so man 2 spend twice as much energy bailing water and his boat stays floating. Just because man 2 works twice as hard doesn't mean his boat was built better. Effort and outcome don't always agree.

Your right IOS developers do have to work twice as hard to keep there customers happy. But if you look at this article Techcrunch.com, androids market share is growing faster then IOS. If IOS was used on other brands like Samsung and LG then they might take over completely. But in the end its not OPEN software and heavy controlled.
http://techcrunch.com/2013/01/04/how...facebook-have/

Great counterpoint, I knew what i wanted to say but I had to ring the "Google Machine" to get some data to back up what I thought was true..

[PBSteve]

If anyone here hasn't seen this, it's worth a watch.

[UV Halo]

I don't think this is a claim against all magazines. Only those that load from two or more ports, at least as far as having them arranged in such a way where you can twist the mag, laterally to load the next stack. Does this patent look to cover mags that feed from opposite ends?

However, I can imagine a way that RAP4 gets the benefit of having and enforcing patent protection but, not messing with us paintballers: Maybe, they'll only go after those in the less lethal industry (since they mention alternative payloads like tranquilizers). This is possible right? Selectively prosecuting those who might be competitors in the less-lethal industry while leaving paintball companies alone?

[pote]

Wow that was actually a pretty damn good video....

[Simon]

I would think the splatmaster rapide magazine system would be some prior art, but it wasn't spring fed with a follower. I would argue adding a spring feed and a follower to the Rapide magazine was obvious to anyone familiar with the art.

[HipboyScott]

In talking with Omar recently at Fulda gap... I am not concerned...yet. I am of the opinion, after the fact, that RAP4 has this and other patents and will use them to defend what they have against those who might try to copy them or cut into their market (AKA a knockoff Dmag or something materially similar), but are not out to cut the legs from those doing their own thing and who happen to have some same features as a patented claim.

The accuracy of that will have to be seen in action over the next months, as there are some pretty obvious connections to be made between say the Dmag and other magazine systems (such as the ZetaMag for example), that anyone could see a conflict on the horizon. If all stays calm, that will go a long way in buffing positive points for RAP4. If things get ugly, it will get ugly fast and hard and no-one will benefit.

I like patents and like the idea of using them where possible and more-or-less to the intent of their purpose; and feel no harm in a company using one to shore up their odds of success on a new idea or venture. But I also feel that in our sport it would likely be a better tactic for many to simply do more collaborative projects, and not patent everything under the sun. If it were me, (and I'm sure it will be soon) I would rather we as a community stick to patenting specific implementations where a clever idea can give one company a bit of reward for coming up with out-of-the-sandbox ideas, without locking down a whole new branch or market that would create revolutionary change in the nature of the game and potentially cause balkanization of the industry.

[UV Halo]

I would think the splatmaster rapide magazine system would be some prior art, but it wasn't spring fed with a follower. I would argue adding a spring feed and a follower to the Rapide magazine was obvious to anyone familiar with the art.

Those and a detent.

I always forget about the old stuff :P