Oh, another trick I've found that works well is to apply pressure against the blade, by either pulling the spine further "open" or doing like a cutting action into something that won't be damaged, like a piece of wood or phone book.
If you do this while simultaneously pressing the liner, it relieves some of the force. I've used this plenty on all kinds of knives, specially after some really heavy cutting that forces that spring in there tight!
Hope that explanation made sense. Basically, you force the blade open further to relieve some of the pressure so it unlocks easier. This should negate your problem while it breaks in.
Once the surfaces wear in and kind of "work harden," things will get better.
Til then, I wouldn't expect EKI to consider that a defect. Just think how often they must hear this complaint and roll their eyes, even if one out of every few hundred is actually out of spec!