Gaffer's nightmare follow up......

[Guest Chris Shaw]

Just incase any of you are thinking of designing/inventing any items of tackle or anything this site will be of use to you.

 

http://www.patent.gov.uk

 

 

Even if you have no intention of taking your design further it could still be worth getting that patent, just incase somebody does not do their homework and put's the same or similar idea onto the market.

 

Goodluck with all your future ideas.

 

------------------

Chris Shaw

 

They played on while the reel handles spun in unison.

 

[This message has been edited by Chris Shaw (edited 16 June 2001).]

[Guest Bretty]

Just make sure it's worth the £500 it looks like you have to pay before you start!! Then another couple of hundred every year after that!

 

Have i got that right it all looks pretty rediculous.

 

Bretty

[Guest poledark]

Yes Bretty you are right, and you will probably have to pay for the drawings as well. Costly business patents but you can apply for a provisional one which protects you while you shop around. At least that is what you used to be able to do when I was a young man!

poledark

[Guest Bretty]

I'm an engineer. I hope to invent sumfing cool like Dyson did n patent it and make loads a money by selling my idea Just gotta fink up sumfing good Any ideas

 

Bretty

[Guest eddie turner]

having come up with the odd idea when we started ET...the costs of patents for every product was too prohibitive..one for each product, Plus the fact that they are so easily by -passed, slight alterations here a different material there. In the end we just had to sit and watch everybody else copy the products, basically there wasn't enough money in the trade to cover the costs of the patents, legal expenses to stop anybody. Even to register a design is'nt safe.To think we were the first company to market the backbiter, the un-hooking matt, twidling stick, drifters, sunken floats, poly balls, half moon weigh bag, pike tubes ...what a cruel world. Mind you they are still available from another manufacturer!

[Guest Peter Waller]

Originally posted by eddie turner:

having come up with the odd idea when we started ET...the costs of patents for every product was too prohibitive..one for each product, Plus the fact that they are so easily by -passed, slight alterations here a different material there. In the end we just had to sit  and watch everybody else copy the products, basically there wasn't enough money in the trade to cover the costs of the patents, legal expenses to stop anybody. Even to register a design is'nt safe.To think we were the first company to market the backbiter, the un-hooking matt, twidling stick, drifters, sunken floats, poly balls, half moon weigh bag, pike tubes ...what a cruel world. Mind you they are still available from another manufacturer!

 

And the biggest offender is . . . . . . . . !

[Guest Xpat Stu]

Originally posted by eddie turner:

Even to register a design is'nt safe.To think we were the first company to market the backbiter, the un-hooking matt, twidling stick, drifters, sunken floats, poly balls, half moon weigh bag, pike tubes ...what a cruel world. Mind you they are still available from another manufacturer!

 

Eddie

 

You obviously know the score here but how the hell do you patent an unhooking mat. Its basically a posh towel.

 

Pardon my ignorance

 

Stu

[Guest eddie turner]

you hit the nail on the head....alot of the time its the idea not what its made of. The problem is nobody wants to copy a duff product....you may think the idea is spot on but to make it worth while it has to sell...do you spend money on it before it sells or do you wait until its sucessfull before patenting it, by then everybodies either copied it or altered it in some way. even if you had a patent the cost of stopping some one from making it is almost too prohibitive...it can always be made abroad and imported....a catch 22 situation

one of the problems is there isn't enough money in the tackle trade to make it worth while...in some cases well known manufacturers have registered specific names even though they existed and stopped them from calling their own product that name!Its a mine field out there.