A recent development in the software world is to patent any potential application or buy up prior patents for software/IT concepts (lawyer corp. fronts) and sue major companies like Microsoft, Apple, Oracle et. al. The lawyers (litigation companies) get settlements due to the high cost of litigation.
The new streamlined US patent legislation does not consider who made/invented something first. It is now who patents it first. To challenge, you must prove that the patent is derivative.
The only real value of a patent to an individual is to protect them from those who would try to sue them for selling their own invention. Otherwise, patents are only useful to the very wealthy, patent attorneys and corporations.
Sooo, I guess copying Huie’s application or Diverse Dave’s application is out, huh? Pity. I was thinking about trying a Corecork deck with a lightning bolt inlay on my next longboard, but now I’m not. I don’t want the cleaners to come after me.
No, some of you are missing the point. You want to do one lb deck, you cant buy less than a roll of corecork anywhere. But I’m set up to sell you 10’ right now. Call me, do you want 1mm 1.5mm or 2mm? I even have special backers and custom woven cf. Small volume sub license for the backyarders absolutely. Dont worry about the suits if you just stay straight with me.
Drew, Bernie just got a small roll from you and is currently covering several boards (all older boards). Please contact him via PM and let him get him setup to avoid suits. I’m sure that he will be getting rid of some of these boards once they are done because he’s been purging his quiver.
I’ve seen the boards Charlie makes and they are really nice. I’m going to stick with Balsa, Wiliwili and other woods even though it’s harder to do and a longer process.
I wonder if you are familiar with the patents Gary Young has for making veneer covered boards using vacuum bagging techniques and EPS and XPS foam. I spoke with Gary about getting one several years ago, and he turned me on to a lawyer he had about the boards a couple of years ago. Mostly about the board and how he liked them. He did say that he was helping Gary get things in order to protect his intellectual property. Everyone making vacuum bagged veneer covered boards is probably infringing on one of his many patents.
" you cant buy less than a roll of corecork anywhere".
Not true, for example I bought a small amount of corecork from another swaylocks guy… and this was after NOT taking some for free that was offered to me last year. (And for that matter, a roll of the stuff isn’t that expensive.)
“Dont worry about the suits if you just stay straight with me.”
What’s with the threat of suits? Like most people here I build boards in my spare time. Several other swaylocks guys showed me how they did cork stuff (none of this is new, there were cork decks posted here back in 2007). And I put it on a board for functional reasons, not for decoration. There’s no infringement.
I am quite certain there is prior art here at Sways and probably a number of other places in the world. Prior art must be disclosed to the patent examiner.
I do not think it would be difficult to claim your patent was derived from what has been posted here and globally. That is, my guess, your patent could be viewed as derivative should it be challenged.
How much money did you pay for the patent? How much money do you have to fight challenges and or infringement? How much money do you expect to make selling cork and cork boards?
A challenge can easily cost $100 thousand to defend. How many challenges/infringements can you afford to fight. If you sue for infringement, what assets do the offenders have to offset your cost of litigation, assuming you can show loss of profit as a result of the infringement.
If I am not mistaken, personal use of a patented technology is perfectly legal – i.e. no profit accrued.
Furthermore, if your patent is only for the US, cork deck boards can be sold by others in any other country but the US.
In the poker analogy, your patent cost is the initial bet. The challenge is the raise. Rather than re-type:
it was a simple question and I got the answers I needed and Drew was kind enough to not only respond but also call me directly and give me the lowdown personally and everything is cool. (mahalo Drew)
Until this mess…
I’ve been working with Drew for along time since I bought some flexible molding from him that you could use to hotwire profiles with and he’s always been a straight up guy, just like Brian at Greenlight, CMP and others.
The pros are already onboard with what he’s doing and he’s not out to destroy the home builders he’s doing what he can to help while maintaining the quality of the brand CoreCork
When I contacted corecomposites to try and buy a roll of NL20 they sent me a price list and never sent me an order form that i requested and I never heard from them again. Guess I wasn’t “big” enough plus it costs as much if not more to have a roll shipped to Hawaii than the cost of the cork itself. So Drew offerring just to send what I need is a really a service for the home builder that I can use.
everyone here has an opinion when no one knows the whole story
this pissing around and on the campfire business is really stinking up the place,
i can see why Ben lost it and why so many others like Kokua, Silly and others just don’t contribute anymore.
I wish it would all stop.
I don’t have a problem with anything Drew is doing including this
he’s been more of an inspiration to me than anything else
again mahalo Drew
I’m sure you’ve inspired more than this backyard hacker to take the plunge.
It seemed as if you got the information you wanted. I did not come to attack. I asked some questions after the tangent had developed and continued – I too find tangents like these annoying. My apologies if I kept you from getting more needed information.
My questions are those I learned the answers to the hard way. My intent is to give Mr. Drewtang the advance notice he may need for the future.
I hope he can make money selling cork. I am all for free enterprise, profit and affordable supplies of building materials.
Good luck to all.
Bottom line, patents are nasty business. I wasted 4 years pursuing one.
patents are fine and dandy as are trade and service marks which are also as important
i’m a suit and been one most of my adult life and in high end product development to try and make as much profit as physicaly possible for my employer and our stoickholders.
it the end its all fodder and feed for the litigators as the inventors rarely get what the belive they are owed
the reality is that there is most likely is no such thing as an original idea just a race to claim it so
unwarrated litigation and the whole dot.com business created this beast giving rise to patents trolls which i hope Barry cleans up before he leaves as he’s trying to get things back to normal there…
most of the IP in the US is being siphoned off as we speak just no one understands how much
its not pretty what going on
but if you don’t see it it doesn’t bother you
just like the underworld of TOR versus what everyone thinks is really happenning on line at places like Sways
My original question was do I need to sand the sharper edges of my new trimmed cork deck pad down or will it peel off like this other guy’s PU gloss coat over epoxy he’s complaining about. And the answer was no I don’t need to worry about it unless I really want to and that’s that.
I am comforted and now know what to do now.
that’s why I asked in the first place
thanks to all those that answered up front
for now though I think I’ll just crawl back in my cave for awhile again
Well brother, Drew was the one who mentioned Patent, Licensing and then SUITs. He brought up all these issues that sent red flags flying.
I just think that it’s interesting that he already locked up distribuiton rights to the raw material. Why mention the patent issue, and the suits, especially if the patent was for decorative use. Most of the hardcore builders are looking at the structural qualities of the cork composite skin. Cork vs Balsa vs Paulownia vs HD foam vs carbon fiber vs fiberglass. I’d be more worried about doing something like what Paul Jensen did applying stick on cork to the top of his board. Is that a decorative use or a functional use? I know it was meant as a functional use, but he did make a nice decorative pattern.
Hey thanks Bernie, that meant alot to me. I remember that floppy stuff, I should try to find my stash. I have been racking my brain trying to figure out why some guys got all defensive and I had a lightning bolt, when I said “the suits” I didn’t mean lawsuits, I meant guys in suits, Bernie got it;) I never got into this to sue anybody, the absolute last thing I want to do is end up in court. I did this, spent the time and money, hired the “suits” all that jazz to protect the guys putting in real work as well as the one a year guys. I’ve always beleived that real innovation comes in the garages, sometimes from guys here on Sways. But yeah, now I’m pretty over this website for sure. I tried so hard to convey that from my first post about this patent. Maybe I just don’t write well. Sorry to derail your post man. I just thought some guys that I could possibly help would be reading this one. Sorry to ruffle the feathers of the guys that are all bent over this. Chew on it for a few days and I think you all will realize that I’m only in this to help. Never came on here to dig in anybody’s pockets, never claimed to have been the first on planet earth to use cork (shit it’s been on windurfers for ages), never set out to sue anybody. As they say “haters gonna hate” so I try to let it all roll off my back but I admit I get a little sensitive to this crap, wifey is sitting next to me calling me out for even giving a crap about what goes on on Swaylocks. Call me if I can help anybody. I do have to say though, when I do lurk around here about once a month, there really is alot of agression and chest beating that never seemed to be here in the past. What happened??? I used to love this site soooo much, bummer.
Ok Im sorry Guys just wanted to try some cork. Called Drew and he was nice enough to offer to drop some off when hes in town, now thats a bro! So can we all go back to making boards, I like yours Huie, whats the recepie??
A patent was mentioned (unfortunately) and discussion drifted into patents. The words patent and suit seem to set members off here. I posted to help bring the tangent to conclusion. Unlike some, I do not attempt to derail threads to satisfy self-righteousness.
Mr. Drewtang, if you can provide quality product with good customer service at fair prices, you may well succeed. I wish you luck.