It has come to my attention that some competing brands have been telling dive stores that EDGE/HOG will no longer be offering Drysuits due to legal and patent issues
That is INCORRECT.
To set the record 100% clear.
The HOG Drysuit was sourced by EDGE from a Manufacture that held a license to produce Drysuits using a material that another party has a patent on. I was assured repeatably that there was NO patent issue....
Anyhow, the patent holder and another brand(go figure) decided there was a issue. Once I was informed there was the possibility of some basis to those claims I IMMEDIATELY stopped offering and producing HOG suits in the material in question. In addition I was offered the opportunity to purchase a license for something like 5k up front (actually upon thinking about it it was 10K) and $25-30 (can't remember the exact #) a suit. I countered with 1k and $45 a suit which I never heard back... Considering the patent as it applies to Drysuits expires 20 years from filing and is now pretty much exactly 18 years since then I felt that was a fair offer.
Anyhow, in the mean time it seems the complaining competing brand is spreading all kinds of stuff. I was planning to ignore it as isolated, however I have now heard it from shops located virtually all over the US, from the Southeast to Northwest and all points in between. So now you all know the whole story.
HOG suits are still produced, still in a mid weight HIGHLY robust material here in the USA and come with a Lifetime Warranty on the seams.
To my loyal EDGE Dealers and consumers, be assured that EDGE/HOG HIGHLY respects Intellectual Property and will always strive to do the right thing. What EDGE will not do is be sit silently while being bullied.
That is INCORRECT.
To set the record 100% clear.
The HOG Drysuit was sourced by EDGE from a Manufacture that held a license to produce Drysuits using a material that another party has a patent on. I was assured repeatably that there was NO patent issue....
Anyhow, the patent holder and another brand(go figure) decided there was a issue. Once I was informed there was the possibility of some basis to those claims I IMMEDIATELY stopped offering and producing HOG suits in the material in question. In addition I was offered the opportunity to purchase a license for something like 5k up front (actually upon thinking about it it was 10K) and $25-30 (can't remember the exact #) a suit. I countered with 1k and $45 a suit which I never heard back... Considering the patent as it applies to Drysuits expires 20 years from filing and is now pretty much exactly 18 years since then I felt that was a fair offer.
Anyhow, in the mean time it seems the complaining competing brand is spreading all kinds of stuff. I was planning to ignore it as isolated, however I have now heard it from shops located virtually all over the US, from the Southeast to Northwest and all points in between. So now you all know the whole story.
HOG suits are still produced, still in a mid weight HIGHLY robust material here in the USA and come with a Lifetime Warranty on the seams.
To my loyal EDGE Dealers and consumers, be assured that EDGE/HOG HIGHLY respects Intellectual Property and will always strive to do the right thing. What EDGE will not do is be sit silently while being bullied.
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