Some days you wonder who the first asshole was

mrblaine said:
I developed the first flip up license plate holder for Tough Stuff Products 15 years ago. They sold fairly well for a while and then quit. Ours were all stainless to fight rust and be fairly maintenance free. Looking at fairlead designs, I came across one of the copies, clicked the "more like this" pic and holeee crap are there a bunch of them now. I wonder which little asshole Chinese fucker did the first copy?
http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...0001&campid=5337789113&icep_item=192909539831
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It's the one with the slanted eyes Blaine, I swear I saw him do it. siccem Blaine go get him. Problem is he probably has a brother as well....
 
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Powdermonkey said:
One thing we are very vigilant with is our dogs! Only Made in America!
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I would agree with you on that, except that our dog is a Greyhound who was born and had a racing career in Tijuana, Mexico. Now she has a bed in every room in our house and spends 20 hours a day lounging around the house.

The adoption agency that saved her also took a big group of dogs from Macau when they closed the track there. Dogs like this one below were made in China, but they're just as deserving of a good home and a family who loves them as any other dog.

?bust=1552608423&width=720.jpg
 
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EzPeezy said:
It doesn't matter one bit these days if you patent a design or not. It's going to get ripped off.
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Exactly

You’ll spend more money trying to deal with them in court than it will be worth in the end. You'll suit the company, maybe they'll go out of business, but you likely won't get your money back (not to mention the legal fees). Then just as they go out of business, another business opens up selling a knock-off of your product, and then you go after them. It's a never ending cycle, and unless you have tons of money and a legal team on retainer (i.e. a company like Apple) then it makes no sense whatsoever to go the legal route. That's something that huge billion dollar businesses do (again, Apple for instance).

Not to mention a patent here means nothing in China.
 
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fuse said:
I would agree with you on that, except that our dog is a Greyhound who was born and had a racing career in Tijuana, Mexico. Now she has a bed in every room in our house and spends 20 hours a day lounging around the house.

The adoption agency that saved her also took a big group of dogs from Macau when they closed the track there. Dogs like this one below were made in China, but they're just as deserving of a good home and a family who loves them as any other dog.

View attachment 100969
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Beautiful brindle grey! We rescued our about a year and a half ago- she is the best people-dog ever. Not only did you gain a great pet, but you saved her from the despicable meat trade or worse.
 
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We can thank the countless politicians and greedy corporate execs. who sold out to Asian manufacturers at the expense of American jobs. Of course this view is an over simplification but I attended some of the early pre NAFTA town home meetings with local politicians. There were many small business people there voicing their concerns that American jobs and industry would be lost due to cheaper overseas labor, minimal environmental and safety rules, etc.. I can still remember the political hack reassuring everyone that NAFTA would benefit all. Who was the president who courted the Chinese early in his presidency? This Pandora's Box was opened long ago.
 
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MallCrawlOnTons said:
Did you patent it?
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Read post #5 and #7 again. A patent is expensive. That expense has to be amortized into the cost of the item over the lifespan of the product and the projected sales numbers. For a low count item like the plate holder, the count is low which brings the protection cost up very high per item. If you aren't able to project a sales volume of several hundred thousand on a small item like that, the cost to protect it doesn't pencil out. Even if it does, chasing down the assholes involved requires that you spend money. All the patent does is give you the opportunity to legally fight which loosely translated means, spend money with little hope of success.
 
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mrblaine said:
Read post #5 and #7 again. A patent is expensive. That expense has to be amortized into the cost of the item over the lifespan of the product and the projected sales numbers. For a low count item like the plate holder, the count is low which brings the protection cost up very high per item. If you aren't able to project a sales volume of several hundred thousand on a small item like that, the cost to protect it doesn't pencil out. Even if it does, chasing down the assholes involved requires that you spend money. All the patent does is give you the opportunity to legally fight which loosely translated means, spend money with little hope of success.
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It was a very direct question requiring a simply yes or no. Weird way to act about it, but okay. Just thought it was cool you could have been the first to invent something.
 
MallCrawlOnTons said:
It was a very direct question requiring a simply yes or no. Weird way to act about it, but okay. Just thought it was cool you could have been the first to invent something.
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MallCrawlOnTons said:
Wha? Whadaya mean that all sounded pointed and accusatory? I's being sincere. Honest Abraham!
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Chris said:
I remember talking to @psrivats (who is an engineer at Intel) one time when we were hanging out. He was telling me Intel (and most of the other tech companies) won't even hire Chinese workers unless they are American citizens due to the issues with them stealing technology and then going back to China with it.

The Chinese (some of them, not all of them) can sure be dirty scoundrels, that's for sure.
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Have Leupold scopes on four Model 70 Winchester rifles . . . made in the USA.
Contacted them and asked where their binoculars are made. They answered . . . China, Korea, and some in Japan.
I try to buy Canadian first, and American second . . . . ask where stuff is made, you may be in for a surprise.
 
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By asking to be more detailed? Then asking if he patented it.
Pointed? does that mean direct? I’m guilty.
Accusatory? Asking if he patented it? Guilty.
Maybe I’m asking because I have ideas of my own....
 
ive no business offering my opinion, just lack the self control as i hate to see nice people not having fun (another assumption, this may be fun depending) knowing the universal respect for mrblaine, i took the comment as a complement, although under a different context i could understand some confusion. i too believe the accomplishments you share here deserve admiration from those of us only dreaming, hope this is not offensive i mean only the best.
 
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