Thread: figured someone would eventually use my idea and make money

Hey Senk...they say the greatest form of flattery is being copied...lol. And like you said...I hope he didnt sink the house in the coverage for those little ditty's...lol. I think my 6 year old niece with a little practice could make a good version of those things...So hang in there buddy and get a bigger hat, so you can keep more stuff under it...lol....Good Fishin'...GF

Screw flattery - give me the royalties !! LOL
Problem is, you need money for a patent search, a patent lawyer and a civil suit lawyer and the time to sue people.
Just glad to show you my ideas before you have to pay for them. (BTW it's illegal to reproduce and use a patented idea.
Hasn't stopped me so far because I don't advertise and lures that have been modified to a certain degree are legal.)

Originally Posted by senkosam

Hitch series - Save Money, Save Time and Fish with Confidence

80 cents a pc. - you've got to be kidding! Wire costs a buck for 50 yards!
I like my design better and have been using the grub and trailer lock for over 10 years.
Hope he didn't pay too much to apply for the patent.

Soon enough you'll be seeing my Spoon Minnow and Spoon Turtle for sale by someone.

if I told you how many times I was copied in the past 40 years you would not believe me some of your leading lure manufacturers have copied some of my stuff. We do not want to start World War II here so I'll keep my mouth shut. But yes you will get a copy many times over. If you post new ideals. Of course the industrious watching us as you probably know, or maybe do not know there are some leading people that are on the site myself I give up on trying to keep up with the industry. Because you can't for instance just what I posted here today. It will be copied in the future. In like you said put in a patent on a certain plastic bait is costly. It's not worth the effort for me. For everyone that they steal I Kenmore in this is the way that you should think that you are better than the person that stole your ideal so you cannot keep anything secret. If you post it. It will deftly be copied. Sooner or later my hat goes off to you because you had a unique ideal that is awesome. I think your original that you make is probably 10 times better than what they can do look at it this way, if you were to make them cost worth the to the people out there. If you're going to do this or more likely gonna come to buy years because you are making the original and not a copy to give you a example the jelly jig. The one I been posting has been made over 30 years one where or the other over the years they've changes in design of this one little jig many times over. And I'm sure that you have used a different style of them in the past. This is why I took the original jelly jig and changed it. I wanted something new that nobody has seen and I do like the new one a lot better because you're able to put this in the mold and check plastic to have a good solid looking body soul hang in there and don't give up . Just remember all of us out here are behind you 100% so I stopped complaining a long time ago about people stealing my patterns on my jigs in a course now my plastic baits.

Hey with my wire former and hand tool I could make up a bunch of those!!!!! 1/4 pound spool of wire $8, sit in front of the TV and just pound them out. Man, it's one thing to copy someones stuff but to turn it into a business that's just wrong.

Fatman

Originally Posted by Fatman

Hey with my wire former and hand tool I could make up a bunch of those!!!!! 1/4 pound spool of wire $8, sit in front of the TV and just pound them out. Man, it's one thing to copy someones stuff but to turn it into a business that's just wrong.

Fatman

I agree with you fat man 100% on that.

the funny thing is I think of many things that I do not know are already on the market and think I have the greatest idea, only to find it is already out there, I guess they were born before me and beat me too it. Then like you said I may be first and someone steals it.

I've had a couple things copied back in the 80's. Fortunately I got the last laugh because by the time It got coppied I'd found a flaw that couldn't be economically fixed at the time and discontinued them. They sunk money in them . They flopped in 6 mo. Bet the flushing sound was horrible to hear.

Fatman, that's what I'm saying - so easy to do yourself and save almost 99%! In fact, for the trailer jig hitch, I recognized it's potential and after I copied it, will use it from now on. (I normally use electric wire zip ties to quickly change skirts on my bass jigs and insert a small length of wire with the skirt, bending it to form the L lock. Now I just wrap the wire once around above the zip and shape the L. Kudos to those guys! :D


Snake, I used to wonder if it is a form of flattery to be copied, but not to be given at least some credit publicly sticks in my craw. I don't mind giving someone else the pleasure of using any of my designs, but kudos are in order. There aren't that many old baits that have stood the test of time and many anglers are fickle and easily influenced by TV shows and magazine articles trying to hook people on the newest magic lures.

The fact is, what's working and selling today might fall off the radar tomorrow and be in clearance bins in the stores. All that investment for nothing! (professional injection molds cost up to $15,000 each!)

If you want to find a soft plastics design graveyard, go to www.lurecraft.com and check out their molds. None are patented designs; most molds are super cheap and anyone can sell the lures they produce; all are pretty good copies.

I will post a video of an improvement I've made of the spoon minnow. Phenomenal!
Another recent discovery is to cut the tails off a double tail grub and pull a strand of silicone or round living rubber skirt out the back end. Fantastic!