DYE sues SP! DISCUSS!

[WARPED1]

It's not wrong, it's business. Paintball is not "going under" it's suffering growing pains. Reality is setting in and people aren't liking it. Get over it because this is how its going to be from now on. Does it suck? In some respects. Is it the natural evolution of the sport? Oh yeah. This is just the tip of the iceberg. If any one of you thats complaining owned a paintball comapny and had someone walk all over your product stealing money from you, tell me you wouldn't sue? Its the nature of the beast. Obvioulsy DYE believes they have a case or they wouldn't have gone to court. It doesn't matter what the consumer thinks because we just buy the equipment, we don't make it and our livelyhoods don't depend on the products made by said company. Its not about us, its about the people employed by DYE and the way they make their money, be it good or bad. Stop the "woe is me, woe is paintball" attitude. Paintball will still be here, whether your a part of it is the question you need to answer.

AMEN to that!

[JimmyBeam]

its business as usual in the corporate world. companies do this on a regular basis. heck, they have a team of lawyers that get paid to do nothing but attack other companies. noone is going under, if anything, its the consumer that pays for it in the end.

[peewee]

Just wait till they start buying up other companies & shutting them down.

[rkjunior303]

This argument is kinda funny...

Everyone is stating "go dye, it's just business" but couldn't the same thing be said towards SmartParts in how they handled THEIR patents?

Kinda hippocritical to me.

[Scott Hudnall]

Uhm.......spool valves have been around long time before DYE or SP started utilizing them in their markers. This will be interesting. But oh well .....I'll continue to shoot my 'mags and be happy with them.

[Evil Bob]

This argument is kinda funny...

Everyone is stating "go dye, it's just business" but couldn't the same thing be said towards SmartParts in how they handled THEIR patents?

Kinda hippocritical to me.

No, its not the same thing. SP took their original patent for the shocker (which no one had a problem with) and filed for an extension, in which the patent was broadened greatly to include common sense features such as a switch or a battery (which everyone had a problem with because its absurd). They then took said "new and improved" patent and issued *ALL* electronic marker manufacturers a cease and desist order. They were not protecting their original intellectual property of the shocker, they wanted to wipe out all electronic competition or force their competitors to pay a royalty/licensing fee. These are not normal business practices, this borders on criminal activity in the eyes of many. Its these types of business practices that have MicroSoft in constant trouble with govts all around the world for monopolistic issues.

DYE purchased the intellectual rights to the spool valve (including existing patents that date back to 1995 for said technology) and has discovered that SP is infringing on DYE's technology. DYE has not broadened their patent to rediculous proportions, DYE is not going after every single electro manufacturer, they're going specifically after the single entity (SP) that is infringing upon their specific markers design. This is normal business practice and very different then what SP is doing.

-Evil Bob

[bleachit]

DYE purchased the intellectual rights to the spool valve (including existing patents that date back to 1995 for said technology)

-Evil Bob

so DYE does own the Nova/supernova patent?

[Paintchucker]

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?

My personal theory is that this is just one of their games... Dave Youngblood is showing his old buddies at SP what the whole industry has been facing the last couple years, and this may be as much a "See what it feels like" lawsuit as anything...

Or maybe they just want to get the rights to make a special edition "DYEION"

[hitech]

No, its not the same thing. SP took their original patent for the shocker (which no one had a problem with) and filed for an extension, in which the patent was broadened greatly to include common sense features such as a switch or a battery (which everyone had a problem with because its absurd)...

[tony3]

This argument is kinda funny...

Everyone is stating "go dye, it's just business" but couldn't the same thing be said towards SmartParts in how they handled THEIR patents?

Kinda hippocritical to me.

Can't agree more.

[player4]

if you have just started reading this arguement, only read Evil Bob's post.

He knows what he is talking about, and he's right.

[Lohman446]

if you have just started reading this arguement, only read Evil Bob's post.

He knows what he is talking about, and he's right.

Its not.. though some of it is in theory it is not all as true as it sounds. I do not beleive that all makers were issued cease and desist orders for one, and I personally have not seen all the patent applciations, all the court filings, or been in discussion with enough top level execs from teh companies involved to have a good idea what is going on. I have some idea, but I highly doubt what I have is the whole story. I expect the same is true for everyone on these boards, with a few exceptions

[SummaryJudgement]

......nothing will change....

[thorn]

im not really leaning towards one side. dye makes some great guns, sp makes some great guns. i dont care what you say, the ion is amazing for 285, and the vision shocker isnt half bad for 700 bucks.

[FireITup14]

isnt the freestyle a spool valve?