Are all copies "knockoffs"

hlee

hlee

Joined
Dec 5, 2005
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What got me thinking about this is a statement in a thread that I read a few days ago that was something like "The buck 110 is the most knockedoff knife pattern in the world."

When I hear the term "knockoff" I think cheap and inferior to the original. However, it seems that at least some people use knockoff to describe anything that is derivitive, or a copy.

The question that I have is, in your opinion, if someone takes a knife pattern (like the buck 110) and makes a blatant copy of it, but soes so with superior materials, fit, and finish, is this copy a "knockoff"?

In my opinion, no, but there is no common label for these hypothetical superior copies that I know of. I guess I'd call it by it's name.
 
I think so, all copies are knockoffs to me, and I have yet to find a company that will copy someones design and make the knife a good knife...Any compnay that makes good knives just don't steal other peoples designs, plain and simple...
 
The Buck 110 is a traditional pattern, and many/most traditional patterns are public domain. There is a huge difference between making a standard pattern and copying a unique design, like Dork Ops did with almost all of their designs.
 
Rat Finkenstein said:
The Buck 110 is a traditional pattern, and many/most traditional patterns are public domain. There is a huge difference between making a standard pattern and copying a unique design, like Dork Ops did with almost all of their designs.
Click to expand...


Amen brother!! I couldn't have said it better myself.
 
FYI...Just so you know, no one would ever dare to copy a Busse. Some un-named person, in some unknown workshop, would hit the "go" button, and the Hog Spec-Ops Teams would go into action. "Phoot" (suppressed weapon fire)...no more cheap knock-off.:D Just kidding...stand down.
 
How long does it take for a design to become public domain? At least public domain enough for the knife world?
 
30 seconds or 30 feet whichever comes first..........................
 
Some of the knives that the ignorant call "Buck 110 knockoffs" or "Randall knock-offs" were being manufactured long before Buck or Randall.

Some other ignorant people try to use that fact to refute the whole concept of a knock-off.... :rolleyes:
 
copy, knock off, all are common terms for counterfit. It has nothing to do with the quality of the item being counterfited, or the quality of the counterfit its self. Here is a real generic term for you. "FAKE"!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
I consider all unauthorized copies of modern knives to be knockoffs. I don't consider a copy of a 150 year old design to be a knockoff. I also don't consider knives like the CRKT M-18 to be knockoffs of Kit Carson knives, because Kit has authorized CRKT to make them.
 
Hi Hlee,

This is a very complex question. As Shecky posted:

shecky said:
How long does it take for a design to become public domain? At least public domain enough for the knife world?
Click to expand...

The Buck 110 was not a traditional design when Al Buck first began making it. In fact it was quite unique at the time. Pete Gerber saw an opportunity to compete and produced his own version of a lock-back folder with brass bolsters, stainless blade, wood scales, but he made sure that his product in design was quite different. Puma, also had "their" version, but diffrerent enough so one could tell the difference (although much closer to the original Al Buck design). There was no "confusion in the marketplace".

I think that is the first basis for complaint. "that company is stealing my hard earned market share by making a product that looks enough like mine that some of my potential customers will buy their "copy" instead of my oroginal". As mentioned, it is ususally at a lower price.

"Knock-offs" or "copies" usually appear just after the product begins to be popular (ie: perceived to be successful). Thus the "copy-company" is befitting from the original company's; Research & Development costs, design costs and advertising & promotion costs. It is easier to offer a lower price when this "missionary work costs" are "saved" by simply copying the product, IMO.

sal
 
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