Browsing thru the Midway flyer came across these XLA bipods.

Who's copying who ?

They look identical to the Harris except for the price.

Caldwell makes wannabe Harris bipods. I'm pretty sure Harris has been around longer than I have.

Don't let the looks and price fool you.
They aren't the same thing.

Harris is the original.

I know somebodys going "what ?, another bipod thread"

So let me get a little more detailed.

I don't care which one is better.

When I seen these in the rag it looked exactly the same as a Harris.
When I went online for some really detailed pics, they still looked exactly the same.

No way somebody could copy it to such a detail, right ?

Anybody had the 2 side by side ?

You can copy anything, if you don't care about violating patents and copyrights.

Violators get sued, so it's a good assumption that they are not exactly the same, no matter what a photograph shows.

Is XLA like a house brand for Midway ?

If a product has an actual Patent it is protected for 14 years by the USPO. If the item is not Patented well, then it's fair game. But unless you hold the IP Patent to something that is very specific, then you can change some design elements and make a similar product.

There are tons of "clones" to Harris on the market. Caldwell, Shooters Ridge, UTG etc etc. There are variations in quality and price is usually a good indicator of that.

That is true, but I don't think any of them are exact copies. All I have seen have minor differences to get around the patents.

Major,

Yep they are different enough that it's probably not worth Harris's time to go after them.

The one's you have to watch are the very granular IP Patents, I've seen some very tight patents that really try to lock down the "idea". Of course lots of them I think are BS, and that's why the courts are there!

The brand is Caldwell. The model number is XLA.

Caldwell used to be owned by the Potterfields(MidwayUSA).

Patent protection in the US is longer than 14 years.

That came directly from the USPO web site (for Design Patents).

Not positive about this, but I think it is sometimes possible to renew a patent

You assumed a design patent (14 years), I assumed a utility patent (20 years).

From the USPO:


* Utility Patent- Issued for the invention of a new and
useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of
matter, or a new and useful improvement thereof, it
generally permits its owner to exclude others from
making, using, or selling the invention for a period of
up to twenty years from the date of patent application
filing ++, subject to the payment of maintenance fees.
Approximately 90% of the patent documents issued by the
PTO in recent years have been utility patents, also
referred to as "patents for invention".

* Design Patent- Issued for a new, original, and
ornamental design for an article of manufacture, it
permits its owner to exclude others from making, using,
or selling the design for a period of fourteen years
from the date of patent grant.

* Reissue Patent- Issued to correct an error in an
already issued utility, design, or plant patent, it
does not affect the period of protection offered by the
original patent.

Either way, the Harris units have been around long enough that I doubt that there are any patent protections left.