Colt suing Bushmaster and H&K
Gun maker Colt Defense is suing competitors Bushmaster and Heckler & Koch for trademark infringement, claiming the companies are trading on Colt’s good name by marketing knockoffs of its popular M-4 military rifle.
Colt’s lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Norfolk, claims the companies have engaged in trademark infringement, trademark dilution, false advertising, unfair competition and deceptive trade practices and seeks unspecified damages.
Colt’s M-4 automatic rifle is its best-selling weapon, sold only to military and law-enforcement agencies.
The lawsuit claims that Bushmaster’s semiautomatic XM-15 E2S rifle _ a very similar model to the high-powered Bushmaster rifle used in the October 2002 D.C. sniper shootings _ is being improperly advertised as an “M-4 type rifle.”
The lawsuit alleges that “Bushmaster has deliberately copied the ‘look’ of Colt’s M4 carbine and has unlawfully used Colt’s federally registered M4 trademark” in its marketing and advertising.
First of all, one thing about Colt is they have a history of buying up the best designs. They bought the designs to the 1911, the AR15 and I think the Browning from the inventors or initial companies that designed them. They bought the AR15 from Armalite and the 1911 and Browning from Browning, if I recall. Problem is, everyone else makes their guns better than they do. I’d take a Kimber or even a Norinco over a Colt model 1911. And I would take a Bushmaster or H&K AR over a Colt any day. It’s not really an issue, as I tend to build my ARs.
Colt also has a history of ignoring the civilian market. This leaves a demand, filled in by the likes of Bushmaster. Sounds like ignoring that market may have cost them.
April 23rd, 2004 at 3:06 pm
I built my AR as well. Still…Colt vs HK. A sad day for me personally.
April 23rd, 2004 at 3:09 pm
Love the obligatory reference to the “high-powered” rifle used by the DC snipers.
April 23rd, 2004 at 4:28 pm
If Apple lost a “look and feel” lawsuit against Microsoft, I think Colt will lose a look and feel lawsuit against its competitors. There are only so many ways to build a computer interface or a gun. What is Bushmaster supposed to do, put the trigger on top of the gun and have the barrel pointing straight up into the air so it won’t look like a Colt?
They might have a leg to stand on with the “M4” thing. Don’t know.
April 23rd, 2004 at 6:58 pm
I don’t know how it works in the firearm world, but in most other areas of defense contracting, the designs for any particular device is owned by the federal government, not the individual contractor.
April 23rd, 2004 at 8:05 pm
Stormy makes my point.
I thought “M4” was the government designation. How can Colt claim copyright infringement?
April 23rd, 2004 at 11:53 pm
“Problem is, everyone else makes their guns better than they do.”
That might be the case now, but I’ve got a 1911 from 1917 and a Police Issue .38 from the 1940s that would beg to differ…
There’s nothing quite like shooting a WWI military issue semi-automatic next to a guy with a brand new Glock and watching his gun jam on factory ammo while the 1911 fires the reloaded FMJs all afternoon…
Oh, yeah, this is also a gun that was stored in a damp basement for something like 40 years, too… ‘Course, this is all my personal experience; your mileage may vary.
April 25th, 2004 at 9:49 am
Out And About…
Just cruising around… To start on a sad (for us) note, Michael Demmons of Discount Blogger is calling it quits to spend more time with his family. I wish him well. We’ve lost quite a few among our ranks of…