Do yall remember Toms post

[SteelSoul]

I have been reading all this news about SP and it just hit me real hard.
Yall remember the post Tom put up about if you could save paintball for a million dollars would you do it?
Dont yall see the hidden message here, Tom knows what is going on and he is looking to see if he should fight the good fight.
Tom if you do, make a PayPal donation and I will send you some lawyer money!!!!!

I might be wayyy off but look at the signs

Steel

[ezrunner]

That is a nice observation. At the time of the post the SP lawsuit was not widely publicized and he did reference it in his message.

I'm not sure what the end result it. SP has gotten NPS, DYE, ICD to kowtow to them. I don't know if NPS or DYE even paid them. I suspect they used that as a legal precident in the ICD case.

Honestly, the bushies are in the 20,000 distribution range, the BKOs, coming on strong but nothing like Angels and E-Spyders.

I think the top targets are Kingman & WDP but they needed some smaller wins to take on the bigger dogs.

I don't know where this fight is going but if Tom can save it GOOOO TOOOMMMM!!!!

Tom is one of 4 or 5 "original thinkers" in paintball and has come up with some ways to change the game. The spool valves can be argued to be adaptations of his dump valve.

He seems to be a fair business man and a good guy.

I don't know if there is a threat to him, or the likes of Larry Alexander at AKA. Larry is another Great Paintball Legend. AKA made some of the best LP stuff ever and now has their own line of guns.

I just want to see where all this goes, but I don't know if I'll like it at all.

-rob

[Xyxyll]

I still don't think ICD gave up. I think they made a strategic move. They may have been backed into a corner and were about to lose when they settled. I don't think there is a legal precident set because I don't think the case completed in court. ICD simply took one for the industry and is giving the next target a chance at providing a better defense.

[shartley]

Originally posted by Xyxyll
I still don't think ICD gave up. I think they made a strategic move. They may have been backed into a corner and were about to lose when they settled. I don't think there is a legal precident set because I don't think the case completed in court. ICD simply took one for the industry and is giving the next target a chance at providing a better defense.
Did they take one for the Industry? Or did they look out for their best interest as it stands at this point?

How on earth can anyone think that stepping aside to let someone else be the next target be anything but self serving? LOL Come on folks, can we be a little more honest about things?

I think to say they took one for the Industry is stretching a bit. I don’t think the “industry” was on their (ICD) mind when they all sat down at the table… but I could be wrong.

[Xyxyll]

Sure, settling sure helped them stay in business, but if precident is not set, Smart Parts can't take their precident and go after Kingman and BE and automatically win.

[shartley]

Originally posted by Xyxyll
Sure, settling sure helped them stay in business, but if precident is not set, Smart Parts can't take their precident and go after Kingman and BE and automatically win.
This is true, but I think it is a side affect.. NOT the reason. Thus saying they did what they did “for the industry” would be a bit much.

If folks want to believe that there was some hidden agenda, reason, or nobility, for settling our of court…. fine. I however, think it was a purely self serving move. And that is NOT a bad thing.

[FreakBaller12]

somethign is gonan happen
SP will not stand forever
whoi knows there is probably more than meets the eye, these companies are smarter than all of us, no doubt they have somethign planned

[Kevmaster]

without a court ruling, there is no legal precedence, if i remember right from my little bit of law readings. right now, SP and NPS/Dye/ICD just have legal contracts, nothing more. A court has not deemed that document to apply to everyone. If the court HAD ruled ICD in violation of SP's patent, then there would be a precedence, but as it is, there is not one yet.

And should SP take on BE/Kingman/WDP (which is where the money is -- $75 for every emag sold aint nothing when you contrast that to $10 on every e-spyder sold) they will have to fight a battle. I think settling may have been counter-productive for SP unless they knew they were going to lose