Sanchez Machine Taken Out By Smart Parts

[Deep Sixx]

Yeah... no. It's a spool valve, WHOLE different thing. The only way it's like a mag is that it's a single tube design.

Yeah, internally it's a Matrix!

sixx

[logamus]

Ah, I didn't konw about that Level 10 sticker. Well, if they knew they were borrowing the Intel Inside idea and just doing a parody, then they were probably not surprised by the C&D. If the rip was obvious then of course AO didn't get all up in arms.

exactly, it is that point that makes this thread seem like a major overraction. sm knew (or should have) that their "window" would violate the patent sp had on their freak. why are people up in arms about this, because hating on sp is the in thing.

The thing with SP is that they patented a design that was already in existence and now want to make other people pay for it. Their idea is that NOBODY can make ANY kind of electro marker without their okay. It's not something like copying their design for an electro trigger, it's the use of an electronic trigger, whether it resembles their own or not, that they want to own. So if you were to design a completely new gun that worked in a whole new way, but used an electronic device to fire the ball, they would say they own your idea and sue you for the rights to it.

you see, this proves my point about hating on sp. this thread is about the c&d to sm and you bring up the elecrto patent. everyone who hates sp always come back to the electro patent, regardless of what the topic at hand is.

[RetroEclipseMan]

We've all hear and said that what SP is doing with their electronics patent is wrong and hurting the industry,and how we should boycott them blah,blah,blah. I think it's just the fact that it's on such a big scale that it's getting all this attention. Legally they're just protecting a patent just like any company and I'm sure this isn't the first time a paintball company has gone after another one.

Most may not know this if you don't live in the NW and I still haven't been able to get all the detail outta Ron but a few years ago AKA went after one of our local Shops (Splatt Attack) for design infringement over the Revenge Cockers they were producing.Keep in mind AKA was still relatively small then. Like I said I'm not totally positives on the details since it was kept on the DL so to not hurt either side but I think it over the inline ram design or something that Splatt Attack was using. And then I didn't see people saying they weren't gonna ever buy AKA products again just because they sueing another company. Heck Splatt Attack is now a big endorcer of AKA and all their sponsored teams shoot Vikings. The big deal these days is everyone just getting all pissy over a "Mr. Corporate" going after the little guy.Ethically or not, from what I've read it still seems legal and until BE or K2 decides to put out the cash to actually fight it I don't see anything changing. I don't notice any fewer people playing because of this and I doubt it's going to stop people from buying products.

Honestly even if electros were totally eliminated because of this whole ordeal I still think the sport would grow since in my opinion people don't just play because they like shooting a fast gun but because they have fun playing the sport.

Sorry for the rant but my point was that SP is not the first paintball company to try and protect their patents.

[Slimm Jimm]

Could they mill a slot into the barrel, and color the sleeves by bore, and then the sleeves would slide in, would always sit in the barrel the exact same way, and make sure that the piece of the sleeve that was in the slot would be visible to the eye.

[FigMenT]

oo yea forgot that sp used a spool valve so they copied off the matrix instead.

[robdamanii]

my point was that agd once made a level 10 sticker that was a rip of the "intel inside" logo. intel sent agd a c&d to agd but ao didnt form a posse to go after intel.

i dont like what sp has done with the electro patent, but these days all someone has to do is imply the words "smart parts" and you get two and a half pages of why smart parts is the devil.

If they've made any bad bsiness decisions (electro patent) people will use any chance they can to extend that "evil reputation". That patent has characterized SP as being greedy a**holes, so anytime their name touches the news, nazi will be written all over it.

[billmi]

a few years ago AKA went after one of our local Shops (Splatt Attack) for design infringement over the Revenge Cockers they were producing.Keep in mind AKA was still relatively small then. Like I said I'm not totally positives on the details since it was kept on the DL so to not hurt either side but I think it over the inline ram design or something that Splatt Attack was using.

In short the case was not between AKA and Splatt Attack. They were both defendants in the same case.

In long.... AKA was the first major company to start building Autococker compatible bodies without permission of Worr Game Products. Splatt Attack was one of their customers, and Splatt Attack used the bodies to build the Revenge paintguns. Worr Game Products filed suit against both AKA and Splatt Attack. Since the Autococker wasn't patented, they filed claiming trade dress infringement (i.e. it looked and operated so much like an Autococker that paintball players seeing them usually thought they were Autocockers.) After back and forth between both parties, the judge agreed with AKA/Splatt's motion that the case was filed in the wrong jurisdiction and threw the case out, so the case was never tested on its actual merits. WGP chose not to pursue the case further, saying it had become too cost prohibitive. In the years since, a number of other companies have produced unauthorized 'cocker clones, once the road had been paved.

[Plazmic]

Nobody will dispute the fact that smart parts took advantage of the patent system for the solenoid thing, but this thread is about their barrel system patent. I think it is important to keep this thread on the topic at hand, and not on smart parts' previouse patent litigation, which has nothing to do with this new cease and desist order.

Yes, well, in that case, they are certainly within their rights.

DOWN WITH THE MAN!!!

[spasticsquirrel]

Jeeze, Sp is B****ing over a stupid window. Its not the fact the sanchez was taken out, to me its the deal that sp is making such a big deal over a little thing.

[tony3]

Wow, who cares, you people just hate SP because the person above you hates them. Who really cares if they are making them take the window out? They had it in and SP had it patented, SP wins and SM doesn't. Not a big deal AT all.

[ProX9]

Wow, who cares, you people just hate SP because the person above you hates them. Who really cares if they are making them take the window out? They had it in and SP had it patented, SP wins and SM doesn't. Not a big deal AT all.

I don't hate SP because the person above, I formed the thought all by myself. Dont go around saying everyone hates sp because its the thing to do. The stupid thing about this is a window offers no performance advantage at all and sanchez machine certainly didnt advertise it as a huge selling point, yet smart parts goes after it anyway. If they truly had the first insert view window and patented it then sure, they have every right to go after them. It does infact make the freak barrel fit its name better, "Completely ****ty, with ****ty features like no other, freak barrels."

[RetroEclipseMan]

In short the case was not between AKA and Splatt Attack. They were both defendants in the same case.

In long.... AKA was the first major company to start building Autococker compatible bodies without permission of Worr Game Products. Splatt Attack was one of their customers, and Splatt Attack used the bodies to build the Revenge paintguns. Worr Game Products filed suit against both AKA and Splatt Attack. Since the Autococker wasn't patented, they filed claiming trade dress infringement (i.e. it looked and operated so much like an Autococker that paintball players seeing them usually thought they were Autocockers.) After back and forth between both parties, the judge agreed with AKA/Splatt's motion that the case was filed in the wrong jurisdiction and threw the case out, so the case was never tested on its actual merits. WGP chose not to pursue the case further, saying it had become too cost prohibitive. In the years since, a number of other companies have produced unauthorized 'cocker clones, once the road had been paved.

Ah, thanks for the clarification Bill.