Cold Steel Steals the Wave. No doubt about it.

That example is a true story Cougar but perhaps not the best analogy to use. I just threw that out there instead of rehashing the Black Sable drama. My example is exactly right on with your comments though.

A law suit is like preparing for war. You look at the theft, you see several things that are different or changed, you weigh the possibility of loss of both time and money and as I said the guy guilty of the theft gets off because the risk is too great to take the chance. Which is just what the thief was gambling on in the first place when he makes minimal changes so it can look like it isn't really stealing or so it can come off as unique in its own right.

The problem of patent enforcement is not that people can evade a patent violation by changing the dimensions a little;
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I'm not meaning to suggest that it is. I'm simply talking about the theft of an idea or design where the idea is modified just enough to make it look original and unique even though it isn't, not the patent laws per say.
 



A folding knife that is self opening when removed from a container such as a holster or pocket. The knife includes a handle and a knife blade with the blade hinged to the handle for folding from an extended, use, position to a stored position in a slot in the handle. A pin is formed on the knife blade adjacent to the hinged end, extending away from the blade when the blade is folded. When the knife is pulled from a container, the pin will snag the container just before the knife is fully removed, causing the blade to unfold to the use position. Preferably, the pin is hook-shaped with an end extending along the blade towards the blade tip. A releasable locking arrangement to lock the blade against folding while in use and for releasing the blade when desired for folding is preferably included.
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imho, the designs are completely different.

and to have a different design for the same function is not theft nor patent infringment.

its like designing a door hinge. and for every other type of hinge that isnt mine, but does the same thing, i complain about.

it doesnt work that way.
 
Personally, I don't think it's that big of a deal. I like many different brands of knives, and have no personal ties to the persons/companies that make/market them.

I would think it was a VERY big deal if it happened to me or to a friend of mine - just human nature - and therefore I can understand why STR chooses to longer support Cold Steel.
 
For what its worth, my Ti-lite does a terrible job at "waving" open despite multiple technique variations. I will agree with earlier statements that the quillion on the spine side of the blade should definately be reversed for better grip ergonomics and opening efficiency. BTW STR does great work!
 
Not to take away from STR's point, but my second Ti-Lite waves very easily. Nothing in the design needs to be changed or reversed. I didn't realize that it had this feature until I saw a Cold Steel promo video. My first Ti-Lite had problems waving and the blade would get stuck. It took tools to unlock it. Cold Steel replaced it without question and the replacement waves so easily that it became one of my favorite knifes. I can wave it out of my pocket or wave it off my jeans or just about any surface.
 
I think I'll continue to be interested in cold steel knives. I still think Lynn Thompson is kind of a dick. Not from this thread specifically, but just from watching those test videos and stuff. He thinks they're the best you can buy, but his only bullet-point is the triad lock. He needs a little new innovation.
 
But but but but----we can't let this Cold Steel thread just sit there with just 3 pages!! It's unnatural and probably breaks several internet laws! HERESY :mad:
 
The function of Cold Steel's thumb plate and Ernest Emerson's wave may be similar, but they are two different things. Cold Steel's patented thumb plate also, as the name implies, acts as a thumb disc.

By your logic, Emerson is ripping off of Spyderco through the use of opening holes and pocket clips (ironically, Cold Steel used to pay royalties to Spyderco for their use of pocket clips). In fact, I could go a step further and say that Emerson is ripping off of Lynn Thompson through his extensive use of the American tanto!

But, no, I won't say that, because I understand that the knife industry, just like any other industry, has always been full people taking ideas and putting their own spin on them.

Esav Benyamin said:
This is making a mountain out of a molehill. Did Ernie steal the hook on the "bottle opener" Kershaw Talon? Did Darrell Ralph steal the Ti-Lite quillion for his Madd Maxx?

All these designers came up with a serendipitous similar result, without setting out to steal anything from anyone. Ernie wisely patented a particular design for a particular purpose. This does not forbid other designers from developing alternate opening systems.

There's enough problems in the world without trying to read theft into every design that's not totally unique. Especially since most really unique designs are worthless -- or someone would have done them before.
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This is an excellent post and I entirely agree.

averageguy said:
I'm disgusted too - at the lengths some on this forum will go to bash Cold Steel.
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The truly sad part is that it's rarely about the intrinsic qualities of the knives themselves. It's about politics wwhich has little to no effect on the end user. Quite frankly, it's silly.

EDIT: I just realized I'm posting in a zombie thread. Silly me. I'll leave this post here, because it is my opinion.
 
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This thread proves that zombies exist...at least as regards threads. :D
 
*bars the Windows on his computer, and starts loading his Kalash mags, grumbling*damn it! Gonna miss the new movie. *racks the bolt of the Kalash*
 
Know what I hate most about these zombie threads? I get sucked into reading them...then after about 5-10min I catch the date and see 2006. :o
 
edit: damn, didn't realize the date.

I think saying Emerson was the first person to have a knife which could be opened like that is about as dishonest as saying spyderco sold the first one handed opening knives. he doesn't hold a patent on knives being opened by catching on your pocket, because he was not the first person to do it. however, he came up with a specific design in which to accomplish this, and that specific design holds a patent. nothing more. he may have popularized this method, but he can not monopolize the general idea any more than spyderco can monopolize the pocket clip.
 
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