I got a reply from Benchmade on Axis lock patent

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Leo3an

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Just wanted to share with you all.

It seems many people are not sure if Benchmade’s Axis lock patent is expired or not. I asked it here before and there was a lot of speculation and hositlity. I got a reply from Benchmade.

I was not sure if I should put service rep’s name & contact, so I edited it out with xxxx.

My email:
Hello,

Im curious about the axis lock patent. Has it expired? It is not listed in the Benchmade’s patent page. Im not taking about axis assist but axis lock.

Thank you

Benchmade reply:
Our AXIS patent for our manual and autos has expired this year. Our AXIS for our assisted models is still a current patent.

I hope this helps answer your question.

Thank you,

Xxxxx xxxxx
Customer Service Representative

E xxxxxx.benchmade.com
P 1.800.800.7427 x.xxx

BENCHMADE KNIFE CO, INC
 
Interesting. So we may see Axis lock designs coming from everybody soon.
 
dkb45 said:
Interesting. So we may see Axis lock designs coming from everybody soon.
Click to expand...

It’s already being used by another company. I e mailed Benchmade a while back asking about their patent on the axis lock after seeing another knife company using it. They thanked me for the heads up but didn’t seem very concerned about it.
 
Thanks for following up. There was a lot of flack for that last thread on this subject. A lot of false conclusions were made from incomplete research and a lot of unnecessary insults hurled at people for just trying to participate in a civil manner. My older benchmade knives had a patent number on them. My newest benchmade blade has no patent number listed on it. The location on the blade that used to have the patent number is now occupied by the link the benchmade.com/pat. So, that is the observation that i posted in the last thread when posting the link found on my blade. But i did not present my findings as fact as others had done. People called out technicalities such as it is not benchmade's patent to own and a website does not mean everything.
 
Can someone please read into and explain Benchmades response? What exactly is AXIS? (I of course know Axis lock is a type of lock for folding knife). Is the term "AXIS" itself patented or the lock?

And what exactly is "our AXIS for our assisted models?"
 
I have a feeling that most reputable production knife companies wouldn't use it even if the patent is up. One thing I could see it cropping up on is midtechs and custom folders. Which would be pretty damn sweet if do say so myself, haha.
 
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Leo3an said:
If anyone wants to read some senseless speculations on this matter:
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/axis-lock-patent.1544745/

That was a second thread I started, because the first one was even more ridiculous, that I had to just start a new one.

Edited: too long
Click to expand...
I’d say that you don’t seem sorry at all, given the several paragraphs prefacing your apology.

Your original question was, I think, about Ganzo knives and the Axis lock. They stole it ages ago.

Anybody using the Axis lock design in the future will do so either acknowledging the debt to its creators, McHenry & Williams, or not. Vote with your wallet, according to your values.
 
sharp_edge said:
Can someone please read into and explain Benchmades response? What exactly is AXIS? (I of course know Axis lock is a type of lock for folding knife). Is the term "AXIS" itself patented or the lock?

And what exactly is "our AXIS for our assisted models?"
Click to expand...

AXIS is the name of the lock patented by Benchmade, ‘Axis’ is what any copyright-infringing company used to describe the lock without calling it by its patented name.
 
panoz77 said:
So much for the "expert" opinions. Good to know, thanks for doing the legwork. I guess Benchmade considered themselves as "owning" the patent after all.
Click to expand...

Because they were the only company using it, of course they’d call it ‘their’ patent.
 
sharp_edge said:
Can someone please read into and explain Benchmades response? What exactly is AXIS? (I of course know Axis lock is a type of lock for folding knife). Is the term "AXIS" itself patented or the lock?

And what exactly is "our AXIS for our assisted models?"
Click to expand...

AXIS in all caps is the proper name of the lock. The patent would be on the mechanism itself, while I'd assume the AXIS name is copyrighted. AXIS Assist is their assisted version. The original AXIS lock itself is now no longer patented, but the AXIS Assist still is.
 
FullMetalJackass said:
That is going to be interesting times :)
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Yes indeed. But Demko managed to create a stronger lock than the mighty Axis, or AXIS! That having been said, I own many BM Axis knives and only one Cold Steel, purchased to study the Demko lock. It would be nicer to see innovation rather than slavish copying, at any rate.
 
G. Scott H. said:
AXIS in all caps is the proper name of the lock. The patent would be on the mechanism itself, while I'd assume the AXIS name is copyrighted. AXIS Assist is their assisted version. The original AXIS lock itself is now no longer patented, but the AXIS Assist still is.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I think this explanation is the most accurate. From what I have read, Bill McHenry and Jason Williams hold the patent of the locking mechanism. They sold or licenced the right of exclusively using the locking mechanism to Benchmade, who named it AXIS lock. So the term "AXIS lock" (or "Axis lock" for that matter) is really the trademark of Benchmade.

Now that the patent has expired, any company or individual can put that locking mechanism on they folding knives (or their umbrellas if they wish) as long as they do not call it AXIS lock.

I think and hope we will see more than a few non-Benchmade knives with this locking mechanism in the near future.
 
I highly doubt companies are going to rush to use the AXIS lock now that the patent has run out. It is simply too cemented in the minds of buyers as a Benchmade product, and can still be found on knives in the sub $100 price range from Benchmade. There is no tangible benefit for real knife companies to use it after 20 years in production (imo).

While certain companies have been using the lock without permission for years, yes it's no longer illegal, but I wouldn't buy knives from said companies regardless.
 
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