Why dislike for Smart Parts?

[installer020]

I notice alot of people dislike Smart Parts both here and on PBN. I seem to be the only person who does not know why? Please fill me in.

Matt

[MisterBones25]

most people think they have questionable buisness practices. in short they have pattented the electroninc paintball marker and have sued many companies over it. they make quality equiptment, they just run their buisness difrent than most people would like to see.

[grEnAlEins]

This is true, the bussiness practices are shady, but I do not hate them for it, in fact I own an 05 Shocker. SP attempting to eliminate all competition through lawsuit is wrong though. Lots of great guns are no longer made because of the SP legal team.

[Lohman446]

This is true, the bussiness practices are shady, but I do not hate them for it, in fact I own an 05 Shocker. SP attempting to eliminate all competition through lawsuit is wrong though. Lots of great guns are no longer made because of the SP legal team.

Lots of companies are forced to comply with intelectual property laws because SP had the legal rights to what they were using without consideration. People are annoyed by SP protecting there legally obtained rights.

[dahoeb]

there are countless threads about this topic. about people who hate SP and what not, SEARCH AND/OR READ those threads.
misterbones' answer seemed pretty accurate as to why some people hate sp. but most paintballers could care less, thats why people still go around sports freaks, shockers and sp jerseys.

[Rick-USA]

The biggest majority of the hatred seems to stem from SP making the decision to actually enforce a patent they were issued by the US government. The legalities of the patent will probably be fought out even more as the years progress. WDP has already stepped up and brought about court action once. I'm sure it will happen again somewhere down the line.

There are a lot of folks in the paintball world who think things should only be done to help the sport regardless if a company can sustain business or not. So when SP decided to sue companies who had built markers based on a design covered by the patent things blew up in the paintball world and suddenly people who had purchased SP products for years were the biggest anti-SP people around. And I've heard all the reasoning behind how it's suddenly bad when for years people like Tom Kaye, Glenn Palmer, Bud Orr etc haven't chosen to fight for what they owned or designed. I'm glad those people made that decision but it doesn't change my opinion in any way. Just because one business does things one way and another does it another way doens't make either one right in my opinion.

Personally I think the right decision was made to enforce the lawful patents SP owned. But then I tend to think a business is just that. It's sole purpose is to make a profit from the product or service it sells. A company isn't in business just for the sake of helping a sport grow with no chance it will ever make a profit. If it is, then it will find itself out of business while the company that actually watches the bottom line is still around.

[installer020]

My understanding.

Correct me if I am wrong. What I get from these responses is this. Smart Parts patented the technologies they came up with for there markers. Other companies used the technology that was covered under these patents without permission, in return Smart Parts sued them to make them stop.

Is this an accuarte understanding?

Matt

[anomoly40]

Well, sorta. Some people question the patent saying it's too broad to patent such a thing and others think they didn't come up with the electro-pneumatic marker.

[shartley]

The biggest majority of the hatred seems to stem from SP making the decision to actually enforce a patent they were issued by the US government. The legalities of the patent will probably be fought out even more as the years progress. WDP has already stepped up and brought about court action once. I'm sure it will happen again somewhere down the line.

There are a lot of folks in the paintball world who think things should only be done to help the sport regardless if a company can sustain business or not. So when SP decided to sue companies who had built markers based on a design covered by the patent things blew up in the paintball world and suddenly people who had purchased SP products for years were the biggest anti-SP people around. And I've heard all the reasoning behind how it's suddenly bad when for years people like Tom Kaye, Glenn Palmer, Bud Orr etc haven't chosen to fight for what they owned or designed. I'm glad those people made that decision but it doesn't change my opinion in any way. Just because one business does things one way and another does it another way doens't make either one right in my opinion.

Personally I think the right decision was made to enforce the lawful patents SP owned. But then I tend to think a business is just that. It's sole purpose is to make a profit from the product or service it sells. A company isn't in business just for the sake of helping a sport grow with no chance it will ever make a profit. If it is, then it will find itself out of business while the company that actually watches the bottom line is still around.

Agreed.

[RapidTransit]

Smart Parts is the SCO, Rambus, and Amazon.com of the pantball world. Their patent of an electro pneumatic marker is to broad. The Patent Office is a joke. If these companies had more money then you'd see some major court battles. I can see AGD patenting the blowforward design. But comeon a Electropneumatic marker that uses an electric solenoid? Alot of patent infringment cases are frivolous and are only their to hurt competition.

Ex- Amazon.com patented the 'one click' checkout. How many different ways is this wrong from a programmers perspective?

[JOESPUD27]

Hey, wow is it time for this debate again for 06 already? Hey after this lets discuss "closed vs open bolt accuracy" "Sheridan vs Nelson" "Cocker vs Mag" "Pun vs White Wolf" or one on my personal all time favorites, "Phantom vs Carter-a discussion on which shoot flatter" *all the posted above have EXTREME SARCASM*

People like who they like or don't like who they don't like for personal reasons (hopefully) it shouldn't be about whats popular....

Jay

[Automaggot68]

/Paging WARPED1

[Automaggot68]

Alot of patent infringment cases are frivolous and are only their to hurt competition.

Welcome to the REAL World.
Many companies such as Nokia and Qualcomm have Dept's with the sole and dedicated purpose of keeping other Company's in-progress-products in court. If it's being fought over in court, the rival company can't release or work on it.

I was told this after I discussed he SP deal with my Engineer Uncle, who works at Qualcomm and is one of the original 25 employees.

[installer020]

Wow.

This really is a heated debate, I didn't realize this. I guess it all kind of comes down to ones opinion of the broadness of the patent. Thanks to all who posted and helped me understand this better.

Matt

[Dayspring]

They had ONE patent that involved the use of a solenoid & electronics to fire the gun. They then broadened the patent to say that ANYTHING that uses electronics in a paintball gun is their design. (Some shady dealing & an inatentive patent office.)

WDP did a bit of an end-run, because when Smart Parts bought PVI (for the Shocker design), some designer (I forget his name) didn't sign a piece of paper saying that the total sum of his designs belonged to SP. WDP bought the rights from the designer in the past year and then challenged SP. What it DID was do was say that SP couldn't sue somebody who was on the same patent (which buying the rights allowed them to do). WDP also sued saying that SP had to stop production of guns that used boards that could be flashed/reprogrammed in the gun.

What will WDP do with the patent? Nobody really knows, as they co-hold it with SP. Could WDP license the technology out cheaper than SP would? Possibility. Only time will tell.

Correct me if I am wrong. What I get from these responses is this. Smart Parts patented the technologies they came up with for there markers. Other companies used the technology that was covered under these patents without permission, in return Smart Parts sued them to make them stop.

Is this an accuarte understanding?

Matt