This is sure to cause some discussion!!!!

[Fatman]

On an old thread in the Vintage stuff section there is a post with the old Ament catalouge which was scanned in.
http://www.jigcraft.com/jigcraft/showthread.php?tid=909

The date of that catalouge is 1980 - now how did the the Trademark office allow Blakemore a trademark on Pony and Horse Head jig style when they are listed in this catalouge along with one with the collar having a flaired end for tying bucktail.

This shows that the jig was already being made before a trademark was granted. Would Ament have owned the Trademark on this???

What are your thoughts on this???

Fatman

 

[redman]

Blackmore never really had the rights to the ponyhead. It was a Ammet desing the right were given by Paul Ammet to Brent Huchings of Lincoln,Mo. They tried to sue him and after the lawyers went thur discovery the case was quicklly dropped by Blackmore. I have seen the paper work on this. Redman

 

[Shoemoo]

Here's a blog post from a Blakemore employee on the subject:

http://tjstallings.wordpress.com/2011/01/23/counterfeit-road-runner®-lures/

Personally, I don't think it does much good to harp about it. Trademarks are very difficult to get and enforce in the fishing industry. Blakemore is one of the few companies that has managed to keep commercial imitators at bay, and I can't say I blame them for defending their trademark. If a company doesn't actively defend their trademark, they can lose it. It doesn't take much alteration to squeak around trademarks, which is why you see so many copies of popular baits. A company introduces a new design and it does well, and suddenly every other company has a variation on the same thing.

No one is complaining that Lindy or Gitzit or Swormin Hornet or any of the other companies that sell commercial heads from custom molds are coming after home pourers. Then again, none of them have another company selling materials that allow other people to exactly duplicate their product.

It is what it is.

Edit: Found this article written by Wally Marshall about the history of the Road Runner type lure here:

http://www.texasfishandgame.com/article.php?ArticleID=2109

 

[Fatman]

Shoe

I've actually seen both those articles before. But again that raises more questions - Names are listed in both articles, but the Name that Redman lists associated with Amment Mold is not - so if he also holds rights to that style jig head (actually looking at the picture in the catalouge - horse, pony and pony with ball collar) how did the trademark office issue a trademark??? when the rights to that style head were given to the person Redman listed???

If both have rights to it - and can be proven, we know Blakemore has a trademark but Redman also states he saw the paperwork on the three styles of jig heads the Amment mold makes which look just like Blakemores then how was a Trademark issued to one over the other.

Definately makes for good conversation!!!

 

[Shoemoo]

Was Amment only manufacturing the mold, or were they actually making the lure?

If I recall correctly, Blakemore had been manufacturing the Road Runner the entire time and they had spent a lot of money and effort promoting the brand name. It's possible that Joe Hall was able to prove his father invented the original design in 1958 and the trademark was given based on that information.

Just because Blakemore dropped the lawsuit doesn't necessarily mean they had no case. They could have figured it would cost them more in legal fees to pursue the case than they would get if they actually won.

 

[JSC]

On the Blakemore Road Runner.
The way I understand it the original was made by Mr. Blakemore (I understand that he made them under one company and sold them to Blakemore Sales ... a tax cutter at that time) ... It was sold I think in the 70's as Blakemore company .... then several years later it was sold to TTI who presently own it ... I think after the 1st sale is when it was submitted for trademarkin and/or patent ...
I can remember the 1st of this type lure that I had ever seen was on the outskirts of Guntersville, Alabama ... 1/4 oz Nylon Bristle Tail .... I remembered then that Ament had it in their catalog (This was in the early 60's) .. I have one of the Ament Molds and Had them make me a custom 1/4 oz mold ... I poured quite a few of them for Mann's (They did the tying) Later I traded the mold to him and he modified it to make a Lure he called the "Road Runner" an in line plastic skirted lure like a "SS Sally" .. He may have gotten "Shot down" with the name ... it was not a big seller with him ... I never tried to sell but a few of the custom head before lettin Mann have it. I know some where there has to be information on where it originated if we can find it. I know that the West Coast have used big ones for striper fishing for a long time.
(I could not get the article by the employee .. got an error page)

 

[Fatman]

That's another one that is unknown, so little is available for information. If anyone has any other please post it.

 

[redman]

Fatman as you said this was going to create a lot of discussion. I know Brent And why would he have shown me paperwork that would have been forged. And after discovery why would have Blakemore dropped the lawsuit if they would have defended it so hard. Tells me that they were backed in to a corner and not wanted to open themselves up to a major battle that could have costed them Millions of dollars. Best let the little guy go and hoped that he would not sue for control of the company which I believe he could. The lure that equals the RR Brent called Lit'l Elmo. Same lure different name.

In my opinion this is one of those time that the same lure was made at the same time in different places. Maybe one of the reasons that Blakemore doesn't want to go after Do-It for producing a mold of the Road Runner. But I know that I wouldn't want to go up against a company that is back by John Deere. Then again this might be one of those time were one party holds the copyright and another holds the patent. Two different things that are legally different but kind of the same.Throw a Trademark into the mix and it's sure to make some lawyer rich.

Redman

 

[Fatman]

I really like the history of things and that includes fishing. And I still want to know more - If anyone has anything else on this post it up and I'll still keep looking around on the web!!!

 

[Shoemoo]

I've heard one of the fishing magazines published a story about Blakemore and the the guy who originally did the RR style Stump Jumpers for BPS butting heads awhile back. I haven't read it and I don't know exactly when it ran or what magazine. Supposedly Blakemore forced the guy out of business on the basis of the trademark and took over production on the Stump Jumpers.

BPS no longer sells Stump Jumpers in the RR configuration. Not sure who is doing the production for the current style heads, but after examining the current heads I believe it may be Northland. The SJ looks like it comes from the same mold as the Thumper jigs.