Smart Parts will be closed at the end of the month !!

[MANN]

Ill believe it when I see it.

[Shirow]

But you, sir, are violating my patent by sending your "cease and desist" letters in digital or electronic form! It's a blanket patent for anything using electricity for the transmition of written information pertaining to paintball... Sure, people did it before me and patented it, but I've go SO much more money than them!

Well, you are violating my patent on using your fingers to depress anything to generate characters that passes along communication. I don't actually have a patent but you still owe me a trillion nickels.

[Lohman446]

Why does anyone think this would mean anything for the patents? Patents (and IP in general) is an asset that can be easily transferred.

[Shirow]

We like to live the dream

[Frizzle Fry]

Well, you are violating my patent on using your fingers to depress anything to generate characters that passes along communication related to paintball. I don't actually have a patent but you still owe me a trillion nickels.

Fixed it for you... I got your PM offer to send you 50% of my profits related to the use of a keyboard. I'm sorry to say that I'll have to go out of business. Thanks for "giving me a fair chance to license" though, the rest of the guys at Action Mar... Uh... My house will be OK I guess.

[Jaron]

Thanks for "giving me a fair chance to license" though,

Ah, I was just revisiting that PBN thread actually. Ahh, what a wonderful diversion.

[CatoRockwell]

Go here

That was a year or so ago, when TK ventured over to the Nation for the great "Gardner Smackdown" as everyone called it. Tom talks about the magic box as well as other mods to the "PL" Automags.

was reading this thread and some jerk had this in his sig "Originally posted by BGardner: Tom Kay was wrong. As much as I liked him, he is not making paintball equipment anymore. He never loved to play the game. It was more of a business than a passion. He has found his passion now, and I bet he is alot happier."

anyone else wanna call BS on the Gardner bros? Tom Kaye never loved paintball? By ruining his company I've made him happier? What a total P w/ Rick. I now have a renewed hatred for these guys and will remember to kick the gardners square in the balls if I ever meet them

[Ratt]

was reading this thread and some jerk had this in his sig "Originally posted by BGardner: Tom Kay was wrong. As much as I liked him, he is not making paintball equipment anymore. He never loved to play the game. It was more of a business than a passion. He has found his passion now, and I bet he is alot happier."

anyone else wanna call BS on the Gardner bros? Tom Kaye never loved paintball? By ruining his company I've made him happier? What a total P w/ Rick. I now have a renewed hatred for these guys and will remember to kick the gardners square in the balls if I ever meet them

-I concur.

[Frizzle Fry]

anyone else wanna call BS on the Gardner bros?

We did, 2 years ago. I posted something and another person posted the D-Day akimbo Sydarm picture.

[Pump Scout]

That said, a new Micro CA-II would be a hit.

Winner, winner, chicken dinner! I'd love a Micro CA-II. Wish I'd been smarter back in the day and snagged one. Or two.

[Frizzle Fry]

Winner, winner, chicken dinner! I'd love a Micro CA-II. Wish I'd been smarter back in the day and snagged one. Or two.

If wishes were fishes AO would reek like low tide... Thankfully, AGD is still up and running, and the more creative aspects of Automag upgrading and improving are being carried on by people like Jay, Tuna and Rogue (and more). I'd love to see some re-vamped traditional AGD products but I'm afraid it won't happen any time soon.

Oh, and you've got a PM.

[Gadget]

Bit more info:

http://www.p8ntballer-forums.com/vb/showpost.php?p=1305847&postcount=22

[PanzerGen]

Bit more info: http://www.p8ntballer-forums.com/vb...47&postcount=22

So does that leave any mainstream companies who still make their guns in the US or Europe and not Asia without Smart Parts? As much as I hated their business practices, it was nice that they still made all their stuff in the US.

[Skeeter]

Their patents are still good, that is as long as they can afford to defend them in court. I'm very curious as to how this will pan out in the industry.

The BIG issue is that their electronic trigger mechanism WAS NEVER valid!!! They (the Gardner brothers) DO have other patents, that are enforceable, for the spool-valve systems. The E-Trigger patents were proven invalid, in a Federal Circuit Court of Wisconsin (2003, IIRC).

The reason EVERYONE with a clue should hate SP? They fundamentally changed the industry, by destroying the culture of cooperation and "good sportsmanship" between manufacturers!!! Now, every company in the industry is very "protectionist", and not at all interested in helping eachother out. Before SP's legal BS, most, if not all, of the companies in the industry would willingly share information, technology, concepts, etc... Now, that feeling of teamwork, between different manufacturers, companies, teams, stores, etc,. has been destroyed. I blame SP for destroying that wonderful component of the game.

No other entity (or combination of entities) has had such a negative impact on this industry, in the 22 years of my involvement in the sport!

EDIT: Smart Parts got their butts kicked in OREGON, not Wisconsin (my mistake)

Search on "Smart".
http://patentlaw.typepad.com/patent/...s_2004/page/2/

[Frizzle Fry]

it was nice that they still made all their stuff in the US.

So they said, but I've talked to people who signed the forms to accept delivery of ION bodies from China.

One of the oldest tricks in the advertising book is to order something 95% finished and "assemble" it in the US...

Like those Amish electric (yes electric) fireplaces you see on TV? The Amish make the frame, a Mexican company makes the plywood body, and some Chinese company makes the actual fireplace assembly. Then 12 people in a warehouse in Delaware for 16 hours a day at $5.25 per hour shoot 20 furniture tacks into each one with a gun to hold all 3 parts together (maybe 5 minutes per unit to assemble) and they've just been "Made in the USA". Then they film fake Amish people for the commercial and add some fine print about the filming being a "mockup".