Intellectual Property Theft - Please Read

[Mitchell Knives]

No, one of my designs did not get stolen!

However, my friend Alan Folts DID have his "Minimalist" design stolen.

I learned how to make knives from Alan, so I'm especially angry about this.

Things like this cannot be tolerated in the knife community, which is why I am posting this information.

Intellectual property theft and misrepresenting factory knives as customs is harmful to makers, collectors, dealers and the industry in general.

Please read and pass along! Exposing people like this is the best thing we can do! Thanks!




www.tribalknifeusa.com, owned by Doug Metzger of Hayesville, NC has been producing and selling blatant knockoffs of an Alan Folts design called the "Minimalist".

Alan has been producing this model for many years, and has a licensing agreement with CRKT.

This is what the CRKT versions look like:

Custom versions can be seen here:

http://www.gpknives.com/alan-folts-minimalist.html

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These are the knock offs:

http://www.tribalknifeusa.com/-strse-Custom-Neck-Knives/Categories.bok

They even decided to copy each blade shape; how clever.



To make things worse, Doug Metzger also owns http://www.premiumknifesupply.com/. This website basically sells kit knives and related materials.

He actually has the nerve to sell a kit knife version of Alan's "Minimalist" design.

He even sells them via Ebay for quite a bit less.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Knife-Making-Blade-Blank-Custom-Defender-Warncliff-blade-T3B-/251052287969?pt=Collectible_Knives&hash=item3a73e1e7e1#ht_1100wt_1180


He's such a nice guy, he even put a picture of himself on his Ebay store. I guess it's good to know who you are buying knock offs from.

His kit knives appear awfully similar to the "custom" knives sold on http://www.tribalknifeusa.com.

This folder, sold under the "Craftsman's Corner" section of his website...

http://www.tribalknifeusa.com/-strse-36/Classic-Sunfish-Folder/Detail.bok

...looks quite similar to the one on his kit knife website.

http://www.premiumknifesupply.com/-strse-261/%22Sunfish%22-folder-s57/Detail.bok



Hmmmmmm, I wonder if any of those knives are really "customs"?

This kind of behavior is unacceptable.

No maker deserves to have his designs stolen; especially Alan. Alan gives more back to the knife making community than just about anyone, and it's pathetic that someone would resort to stealing his designs.

Doug Metzger/Tribal Knife and Tool will be at Blade show at table 302. I'm sure that he would also like to hear from those unable to attend: 877-504-2452.

I won't be attending Blade, but perhaps someone should inform them that intellectual property theft is frowned upon.

 

[jdm61]

Wouldn't be the first time. When I was a young lawyer just starting in practice, I had to send a cease and desist letter to a then well known knifemaker who had decided that the one off knife that he had made for my client who had designed the piece for a B action movie gave him unfettered right to sell the knife. I subsequently learned that the knife maker in question din't have the best reputation as far as business ethics go. Tell your friend that threatening letters from lawyers are sometimes effective.

 

[FromyD]

For example:
EU Patent Office refused to register the position of the trademark for a reason - the lack of distinctiveness. For registration has been declared position mark representing the orange color applied on top of the sock. Patent Office of a reasoned refusal decision that the average consumer will not accept the position stated in the sign as a trade mark, as used in the first instance focus on the verbal and visual signs. An applicant may appeal the decision of the Patent Office the EU. In world practice, already have successful examples of positional registration of trademarks, such as the sign of Levi's, representing a particular location tag on the back pocket of jeans.