Oh my Gosh...someone got SP darn good..

[DiRTyBuNNy]

check it out kids...somebody got really royally screwed legally..

http://www.68caliber.com/news/industry/story04594.php

[skinnyfatguy]

just beat me to it. for those of you too lazy here it is straight for wdp's site.

PRESS RELEASE FROM WDP LTD 14 December 2005
On December 9, 2004, a jury in Madison, Wisconsin, found on behalf of NPF Ltd. in its patent
infringement lawsuit against Smart Parts, Inc. The trial began on December 6, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, before the Honorable John C. Shabaz.

The jury found that the asserted claims of NPF's U.S. patent number 6,615,814 were valid. Earlier, on November 17, Judge John Shabaz found that the patent was infringed, as a matter of law, by Smart Parts' Impulse, Shocker and Nerve markers. Following the jury trial, the court granted NPF's motion for a permanent injunction, preventing Smart Parts from selling any infringing markers from December 9, 2004, forward. This injunction will last for the life of the patent, until October 14, 2019.

The jury verdict has reaffirmed NPF's decision to protect its intellectual property rights. NPF has a licensing program for the technology protected by this patent, and for the technology protected by its other patents. Those manufacturers interested in incorporating reprogrammable microprocessors into their electro-pneumatic markers, or incorporating other intellectual property protected by NPF's patents into their markers, should contact:Jon Green of WDP, Ltd., at [email protected] for further information.

[yakitori]

right on! Karma is a biootch eh!

[Vanced]

RAWK on...

Tool Bad it's appeal time... so don't get too exited yet... SP still has plenty of money and lawyers...

and now WDP has the patient protection ? does that really change anything ?

[Muzikman]

Wow...that came down hard. It wasn't even a nice little, let's share the patent. It was, you guys suck now go away.

[Muzikman]

Now...the question is. Will WDP go after other gun mfg's and want money?

[Lohman446]

WDP nothing - who is NPF?? Or is that some legal speak for the plantiff

[Dayspring]

Tom retired 1 week too early...

[DiRTyBuNNy]

Tom retired 1 week too early...

I can just imagine Tom calling Dave and saying "I swear I haven't deposited the check yet" hahahaha..

[frop]

I'll hold back my celebration till we hear what WDP is gonna do w/ licensing. Until then, who knows if they'll become SP Jr.?

[personman]

LOL
I just hope WDP is doing this for the good of the sport and not profit.
But then again, I'd rather the paintball industry be monopolized by a company that actually makes decent guns than a company that doesn't care for quality. Either way, SP = pwnt.

[DiRTyBuNNy]

WDP nothing - who is NPF?? Or is that some legal speak for the plantiff

NPF is the parent company of WDP..

[hardr0ck68]

wow, that is awsome...well im now lookin buy an angel. SCREW YOU SP eat your own poo

i just hope WDP is nicer than SP...it would be really amusing if they licenssed their pattent to other companys for like $1.00 a marker or something small like that. (just not SP let those two jack-hole brothers go back to making pumps and selling belsales autocockers...)

[BronzeDarkAngel2]

WDP nothing - who is NPF?? Or is that some legal speak for the plantiff

I didn't take time to read it all... Somone might have already answered.... NPF is the parent company of WDP... Which means its a HUGE company agenst SP... Not some little thing... Personaly I hope WDP destroys SP.... And... SP doesn't have too much money, From what I heard they took out a $1million loan for the lawsuits they did....

[magmanl337]

Watch SP make spyder-clones after all of this just to stay in business...