DYE sues SP! DISCUSS!

[JoshK]

I'm cheering for the underdog!

[mandatory]

who cares, both these compinies will still be around after the dust settles, both still making quality products. its just a choice of affiliation or prefrence. I prefer to stay numb to these legal battles, and just reap their benifits. ill still be buying SP as well as DYE as wel *** WDP s well as ICD as well as WGP products no matter what the outcome. as long as they can provide something of interes to me, i will buy it from them. Your the final say in what you buy. shop wiesly.

[JoshK]

who cares, both these compinies will still be around after the dust settles, both still making quality products. its just a choice of affiliation or prefrence. I prefer to stay numb to these legal battles, and just reap their benifits. ill still be buying SP as well as DYE as wel *** WDP s well as ICD as well as WGP products no matter what the outcome. as long as they can provide something of interes to me, i will buy it from them. Your the final say in what you buy. shop wiesly.

But! Like someone else said...I dont wanna pay the high royalty fees that are possible if Dye wins...but I guess I don't care...because I'm not going to be buying from either company anytime soon.


BTW...could you imagine a $675 Ion?

[Chipper]

Now would be an excellent time to come out with an entirely new marker, one that noone else can pick on. If this goes through like I think it might, it will turn into a patent war, with prices skyrocketing. A new, cheap product, or something made out of country, would be extremely successful.

[Steelrat]

Wow, its a good thing DYE didnt do anything like directly ripping off the AKA reg designs, or they'd look like real hipocrites.

[LudavicoSoldier]

As I don't have time to read through DYE's filing, anyone who wants to write up a good summary is encouraged to do so. I'll quote you in my first post if you don't mind.

[Chronobreak]

i cant read or understand all that

and im not gonna try

let me know the verdict though

[mandatory]

OH YEAH...iI CANT BELIEVE I FORGOT THE BEST COMPANY OUT OF THEM ALL!!!!! AGD. i like how AGD has so eloquently skerted the "Hype machine". I hate how paintball is so prone to the placebo effect...have some "pros" tell everyone that the gun rips, and all of a sudden its the next best thing, when alot of the market is cosmetic upgrades.

[Link44]

yea....i don't understand any of that mumbojumbo.... ...anyone wish to clerify?

[LudavicoSoldier]

I read through some of the paperwork, and, correct me if I am wrong, this has to do with spool valve technology. A spool valve involves two chambers (supply camber and dump chamber) whos opening/closing is controlled by the movement of the guns bolt. The Matrix uses it, as does the Ion, though there are small differences. I think the complaint regarding the Shocker is more related to the bolt kit, which increases the efficiency of the Shocker. The Matrix HE bolt kit did the same thing for the Matrix's efficiency well before the new Shocker came out. Let me read more...

[Steelrat]

yea....i don't understand any of that mumbojumbo.... ...anyone wish to clerify?

It states that DYE is suing SP for infringing on patent 5,613,483, which is for:

A piston and cylinder assembly for a gas powered gun, has a cylinder containing a piston rod slidably movable between a loading position in which the leading end of the piston rod is in a withdrawn position, and a firing position in which the piston rod has moved forwardly. The cylinder has first and second chambers through which the piston rod extends, the cylinder being connectable to a pressurized gas supply supplying pressurized gas to the first chamber when the piston rod is in the loading position. The piston rod permits communication between the pressurized gas supply and the first chamber and prevents communication between the first and second chambers when in the loading position, and when in the firing position prevents communication between the pressurized gas supply and the first chamber and permits communication between the first chamber and the second chamber to cause pressurized gas in the first chamber to pass into the second chamber. The piston rod has a longitudinally extending passage extending from the front and rearwardly along the piston rod to a location where the passage communicates with the exterior of the piston rod. The location communicates with the second chamber when the piston rod is in the firing position to cause pressurized gas to pass from the second chamber into the longitudinally extending passage to the front end of the piston rod for propelling a projectile from the barrel of a gas powered gun.

[CoolHand]

That was clear as mud.

OK, I'm going to boil it down for you all:

DYE is claiming that the Shocker SFT, the ION, and the TurboCharger bolt kit are infringing on their patent which is numbered above someplace.

DYE bought this patent from the originators of the EMatrix (be that Gen E or whoever), and use the basic premise in their DM line of markers. The patent in question covers a mechanical version of the now famous EMatrix PB marker.

This spool valve technology is what they are sueing over.

DYE is asking for an injunction barring SP from making Shockers, IONs, and the HE bolt, as well as damages for loss of sales, court costs, and any punative damages the court might award.

They have demanded a jury trial, so this one is going to court, no settlements here.

From here down is speculation on my part --> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was rumored that SP and DYE had traded technology (IE the electro tech for the spool valve tech), and that the two were on amicable terms.

This seems to have been either a) a gentlman's agreements which DYE is now done with, or b) totall crap.

If it is option a), I can totally see why DYE is miffed. SP took their technology, and implemented it in a way that basically steals the thunder from DYE's line of markers. Maybe at first they were unsure of the impact it would have on them (if any), but now it seems clear that those two markers are making a big enough dent in DYE's sales to warrant the effort to quash them.

Since they requested trial by jury, it is clear they do not want to simply settle or renegotiate their current deal. The mean to fight.

I predict that this will be messy, with the possibility that it may not end well for anyone.

[ICP]

I was going to ask about the spool valve tech in the ion, being a dye patent. Guess I don't have to now. And now all the SP people will be moaning and groaning about dye, even though they defended SP to the death with thier patent lawsuits. Personally, I don't care because I shoot an AUTOMAG

[Maggot6]

Whatever happens, my mag will still shoot. :)
P.S. - I root for DYE...

[bleachit]

call me stupid, but does this mean dye owns the patent to the supernova paintball marker?

cuz he who owns that patent, theoretically could have them both by the errr "special area"