Mods, if this is better suited elsewhere please move.
First let me say that this is a long read but there is a lot of solid information here and worth the read, especially for ANYONE who makes holsters. I am going off the assumption the writer of this has completed their homework, but I interwebbed a few noted pieces of info, and they were indeed correct.
Hybrid Holster History
The rundown……
Crossbreed has apparently issued cease and desist letters to makers of hybrid holsters for patent infringement on a very broad patent that may or may not even apply to their claim of patent infringement. Crossbreed is claiming to have invented the hybrid holster, when as shown in the article and with minor web sleuthing, it existed several years before Crossbreed came along as a company. I am by no means a legal authority of any kind, so this is based of what I feel is a sound and logical argument by the author.
After reading and rereading the information provided, here are my thoughts.
I think this a strong arm tactic on the part of crossbreed to eliminate competition in a wide and diverse market. This is apparently not their first attempt at doing so either. I find it rather appalling from a personal standpoint that a company who touts their religious beliefs as a selling point would choose such an underhanded tactic in a free market economy. And all of this is based on a product they clearly did not invent. They copied another’s creation, and now want to claim infringement by others who have copied and innovated the same design they copied to begin with.
From my understanding, the patent is by itself very broad, and as stated in the writing, would cover just about every hybrid holster on the market, regardless of how it was designed. The problem with is, the Hybrid holster existed several years before Crossbreed, and was marketed and sold. Therefore, it cannot be an original idea. That would be like me trying to patent a round metallic device covered in a layer of rubber to maintain road contact…… and shutting down every tire manufacturer…. Unless they paid me licensing fees, even though the wheel came long before I did.
If you click the links in the article, the existence of products prior to Crossbreed has been thoroughly discussed on other forums, regarding this very issue, so I feel it is safe to say that this is by no means a non-issue, and is something that needs to be taken seriously. While I am not a holster maker, and this has no direct impact on me, I have done great business with several holster makers here on the forum and will support them wholeheartedly by not supporting crossbreed or buying their products. On the various forums where this has been discussed it seems the general concensus is that this is frivolous at best, but the fact that they would even try these shenanigans goes against my personal beliefs, and is something I will do what I can to take a stand against.
First let me say that this is a long read but there is a lot of solid information here and worth the read, especially for ANYONE who makes holsters. I am going off the assumption the writer of this has completed their homework, but I interwebbed a few noted pieces of info, and they were indeed correct.
Hybrid Holster History
The rundown……
Crossbreed has apparently issued cease and desist letters to makers of hybrid holsters for patent infringement on a very broad patent that may or may not even apply to their claim of patent infringement. Crossbreed is claiming to have invented the hybrid holster, when as shown in the article and with minor web sleuthing, it existed several years before Crossbreed came along as a company. I am by no means a legal authority of any kind, so this is based of what I feel is a sound and logical argument by the author.
After reading and rereading the information provided, here are my thoughts.
I think this a strong arm tactic on the part of crossbreed to eliminate competition in a wide and diverse market. This is apparently not their first attempt at doing so either. I find it rather appalling from a personal standpoint that a company who touts their religious beliefs as a selling point would choose such an underhanded tactic in a free market economy. And all of this is based on a product they clearly did not invent. They copied another’s creation, and now want to claim infringement by others who have copied and innovated the same design they copied to begin with.
From my understanding, the patent is by itself very broad, and as stated in the writing, would cover just about every hybrid holster on the market, regardless of how it was designed. The problem with is, the Hybrid holster existed several years before Crossbreed, and was marketed and sold. Therefore, it cannot be an original idea. That would be like me trying to patent a round metallic device covered in a layer of rubber to maintain road contact…… and shutting down every tire manufacturer…. Unless they paid me licensing fees, even though the wheel came long before I did.
If you click the links in the article, the existence of products prior to Crossbreed has been thoroughly discussed on other forums, regarding this very issue, so I feel it is safe to say that this is by no means a non-issue, and is something that needs to be taken seriously. While I am not a holster maker, and this has no direct impact on me, I have done great business with several holster makers here on the forum and will support them wholeheartedly by not supporting crossbreed or buying their products. On the various forums where this has been discussed it seems the general concensus is that this is frivolous at best, but the fact that they would even try these shenanigans goes against my personal beliefs, and is something I will do what I can to take a stand against.
