Company wake

^In the sense that, "is it okay for you to put hands and a face on your design", my answer is yes. Because looking at the lawsuit, that is what it seems LF is suing. Wow, glue and stitching holding something together, that is ingenious, and I'm sure that LF is the only company to ever think of that. Most of LF's latest binding designs are hardly worth copying:

air pockets, speed lacing system, the "magneto" lace holders, etc.

Ronix puts out a better binding, plain and simple.

^In the sense that, "is it okay for you to put hands and a face on your design", my answer is yes. Because looking at the lawsuit, that is what it seems LF is suing. Wow, glue and stitching holding something together, that is ingenious,


That's too funny! Yet, it's so true. Glue and stitching...pretty sure those are also used on life vests and wetsuits.

At first i was thinking that hyperlite's system is probably the only binding out there that does not break the patent, but i am not so sure... not that it would matter anyway, since it would not make sense to sue any brand under Kent Watersports.

the pattent says "the means for attaching the upper to the binding base can include one or more of GLUEING, STITCHING, and MECHANICAL fastening." the "MECHANICAL" part makes me doubt if even the new hyp system would get around it. maybe "mechanical" is more toward bolts and screws and the like? heck, maybe even the old-school rubber and hardware design is patented with the "mechanical" word? In which case would leave what other method to attach boots???

This patent just seems so monopolizing/absurd!
If the patent was about something more precise or about some component like the air-chamber-foot-beds then sure i could see that. This patent sounds as crazy as a shoe company making a similar claim of inventing the attachment of the sole to the upper using "stitching and glue" which of course would affect every shoe brand in existance. maybe i am not very inventive and immaginative (or not understanding the patent), but again, what other methods of "attachment" are there???

How has Slingshot and Gator and other independant brands stayed out of this? Gator, i have no clue. Slingshot, the only idea i have is the Removable liners somehow saving them.

Originally Posted by wake77

Most of LF's latest binding designs are hardly worth copying:
air pockets, speed lacing system, the "magneto" lace holders, etc.

do you really think that these devices were invent by LF? They just lucky have no sued about these ones - maybe time expired.