Does Spyderco still license cutoms makers to use "the hole"?

Kevin Wilkins

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Oct 7, 1998
Messages
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The subject says it all! I think I read Spyderco no longer has a patent on the opening hole but has trademarked it... can custom makers still receive Spyderco's approval to use this feature?

thanks!
 
Could you post some names or links to websites of the custom knife makers that use the Spyderco hole?

Thanks
 
I just emailed Spyderco for their terms and conditions.

The only maker I know of who offers "the Hole" as licensed is A.T. Barr, but I have never spoken to him about it. I'll post Spyderco's answer as soon as I have one.
 
Benchmade used it for a time.
 
As I understand it, Spyderco used to have a patent on the hole which they licensed to other firms such as Benchmade. Once the patent expired, Spyderco trademarked the hole and have refused to licese use of their trademark to other commercial knife manufacturers... I guess I'll soon find out if they still allow custom makers to use this feature.
 
Hi Joel, how much do those guys have to pay Spyderco? I still haven't had a direct reply from Spyderco)
 
Hi There!

I think is $50 yearly fee but you need to qualify....

How I can forget about ferret! :D

regards,
 
If I asked a custom maker to do a one-time knife to my design with a spydie hole would he have to pay the fee or get Spyderco's permission?
 
I just got a reply from Spyderco. The basics are, they want to know who you are and what kind of knives you make. Apparently they dont want to just license anybody, but are seeking to protect their trademark and they do restrict the usage to custom makers who produce no more than 100 knives per year with the hole. Cost is indeed $50 per year. Sounds like reasonable request from Spydie, so I'll put together an application for them.

Trademark laws differ from the USA to EU (European Union). Having a Trademark in the USA doesn't mean it's valid worldwide. Getting a trademark worldwide is a costly undertaking and involves lawyers who specialize in such laws. I dont know if Spyderco's trademark is worldwide or not. I want to try and do the right thing in any case.

Ken, if you are in the USA, I think the short answer to your question is, yes, you need to either use a maker who is licensed by Spyderco or the maker you want to use must apply for a license from Spyderco. To simply use the trademarked hole without Spydies permision would be a violation of the trademark and could result in legal action against the maker. One must take into consideration, the practical situation of paying a lawyer to chase after things like that... I think Spyderco wants mainly to keep other manufacturers (domestic and foreign) of knives from using the hole - and I can certainly understand that too.
 
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