Maxpedition stops manufacturing knife line due to dispute with Mad Dog Knives article

[Golden Gate Bridge]

Another way to phrase the header would be:

"Mad Dog Knives accuses Maxpedition Knives of copying their line of fixed blades. Maxpedition stops the manufacturing of that line."

Not sure if this has been discussed here or not. If it has, include the link.

LAS VEGAS – The competitive nature of SHOT Show is always exciting to behold, but sometimes – it can get a little nasty.

Maxpedition launched a new fixed-blade knife line at the opening of SHOT Show 2014, touching off a dispute between Maxpedition owner Tim Tang and Kevin McClung, who makes Mad Dog Knives.

So it turns out Tang’s new line of inexpensive fixed-blade knives and sheaths, made with tool steel and glass reinforced handles, looks a lot like McClung’s expensive Mad Dog Knives and sheaths.

So much so that McClung wasted no time accusing Tang of copying his designs in the comments section of a Jan. 14 KitUp!, post.

“Tim Tang/Maxpedition has OBVIOUSLY ripped off my sheath designs, as well as many of my trademarked/copyrighted design features on the knives. The assertion that “Tang also designed a universal Kydex sheath for each blade size” is total baloney, as these are BLATANT RIPOFFS of my own sheath designs. His previous use of my name and registered trademarks in his advertising of his knife line is uncompensated and unlawful. Timmy has some explaining to do. His “Passion” is evidently making poor copies of better men’s work. That’s called PLAGIARISM.”

I spoke with Tang after the dispute emerged, and he looked a bit rattled over it.

“I don’t want a personal war over this,” said Tang, who admitted that his knives are very similar to Mad Dog Knives. “I really like Mad Dog knives so in part, our knives were inspired by that, but at the same time, we made a lot of changes to make it a completely different product. … There is no trademark or patent infringement on a legal standpoint.

Tang’s company, Maxpedition, has a reputation for making extremely-rugged, tactical shoulder bags, pouches and packs. He has dabbled in a few folding knife designs, nothing as extensive as the fixed-blade knives he unveiled this year.

The new line featured short clip, long clip, fish belly, and tanto blade styles, made from hard-chrome finished D2 steel.

Large models featured 6.25 inch blades that are .22 of an inch thick. Medium models had 5.5 inch blades that are .188 thick. And small models had 4.75 inch blades that are .15 of an inch thick.

There was also kydex sheath for each blade size.

Tang told me he has dropped the entire project, an endeavor that cost him more than $100,000.

“I am actually close family friends with [McClung], so I don’t want to burn that bridge,” Tang said.

The real loser in all of this is most likely the consumer. I am certainly not going to say Tang’s knives were the exact same quality as Mad Dog Knives – most of which range between $700 and $1,300 each. But they sure looked like damn nice knives that were going to cost $100 to $120 each.

Read more: http://kitup.military.com/2014/01/maxpedition-pulls-knife-line-dispute.html#ixzz3JXw8UcLA
Kit Up!

 

[drrickso]

good read- thanks ggb... I'm not sure how I feel about this. On one hand, it sounds positive- Tang stopped the production by putting integrity/friendship in front of his costs/expenses, but on the other hand, it could very well be that he only stopped because he knew it would have cost him more in litigation.

I personally don't like clones and blatant rips of other peoples work, but inspiration has to come from somewhere, and as long as quality is maintained it would have been nice to see a more affordable alternative... provided it wasn't an exact replica.

edit: based on tltt's response- sounds like Tang learned that it's extremely hard to prove copyright infringement and decided $ was more important than friends.

 

[tltt]

It has. Maxpedition decided to manufacture after all. The knives have been for sale for 4 months or so now.

 

[craytab]

Still on this copyright and counterfeit thing I see.

"Mad Dog Knives accuses Maxpedition Knives of copying their line of fixed blades. Maxpedition stops the manufacturing of that line."

Not sure if this has been discussed here or not.

It has been discussed before.

If it has, include the link.

No, take a moment and use the search function to find the old threads.

 

[drrickso]

meh- it's new news to me... there are plenty of new members jumping on every day, and while it may be a boring topic for most veterans here, it's still an interesting one IMO. that said, i'll sum up how these convo's normally go:

person 1: I hate counterfeiting/clones
person 2: But why should I have to pay top dollar for the same thing?
person 1: It's not the same thing and you're taking money out of the designers pocket!
person 2: If it costs them x to make, why do I have to pay them 100*x, when I can get something similar for 1.5*x?
person 1: You're paying for someone's intellectual property, quality control, and better warranty.
person 3: I don't mind copies, but don't put someone else's logo on it!

 

[Boats]

Of all the knives to copy, he chooses those? :ambivalence:

 

[calc]

No, take a moment and use the search function to find the old threads.

Just the other day you repeatedly complained that somebody resurrected an old thread.

meh- it's new news to me... there are plenty of new members jumping on every day

If those members resurrect an old thread, people complain. If they start a new thread, people complain. So I suppose they're expected to not say anything at all.

Subjects that have been discussed ad nauseam are done so for a reason - people like to discuss the subject. Any community needs new members to thrive in the long term, and new people discussing previously exhausted subjects is bound to happen. If somebody doesn't like it, it's much easier for them to simply ignore the thread than to complain in it. But for some reason, that doesn't always happen.

--

Regarding the Maxpedition knives, it would be nice to try them out since although I've always been curious about McClung's designs, they've been way outside my price range. That being said, at the end of the day they're pretty blatant ripoffs, so I think I'll pass on them.

 

[not2sharp]

All knives copy each other to some extent. If Kevin believes that Tim's knives are so substantially like his as to warrant legal infringement, then he also needs to explain why his product is selling at a 500% premium. You can't really have it both ways.

n2s

 

[craytab]

Just the other day you repeatedly complained that somebody resurrected an old thread.

If those members resurrect an old thread, people complain. If they start a new thread, people complain. So I suppose they're expected to not say anything at all.

Subjects that have been discussed ad nauseam are done so for a reason - people like to discuss the subject. Any community needs new members to thrive in the long term, and new people discussing previously exhausted subjects is bound to happen. If somebody doesn't like it, it's much easier for them to simply ignore the thread than to complain in it. But for some reason, that doesn't always happen.

Wow! Good to see you are following me. Could you also like my facebook page?

If those members resurrect an old thread, people complain. If they start a new thread, people complain. So I suppose they're expected to not say anything at all.

If you need info on something, you can search for it, read up on it, but you don't have to post in a 9 year old thread asking questions of people who might not still be alive. It is rather funny when folks try to get in an argument in a 9 year old thread started by a banned member. Lol!

Subjects that have been discussed ad nauseam are done so for a reason - people like to discuss the subject. Any community needs new members to thrive in the long term, and new people discussing previously exhausted subjects is bound to happen. If somebody doesn't like it, it's much easier for them to simply ignore the thread than to complain in it. But for some reason, that doesn't always happen.

But seriously, the search function is a great way to find out information you might not already know. It is fairly easy to use. I am not complaining, just pointing out that the search function is a great tool. Much easier to use the search tool than ask other members to use it for you and then post up the results. :thumbup:

 

[craytab]

All knives copy each other to some extent. If Kevin believes that Tim's knives are so substantially like his as to warrant legal infringement, then he also needs to explain why his product is selling at a 500% premium. You can't really have it both ways.

n2s

That right there is a great point!

 

[Golden Gate Bridge]

All knives copy each other to some extent. If Kevin believes that Tim's knives are so substantially like his as to warrant legal infringement, then he also needs to explain why his product is selling at a 500% premium. You can't really have it both ways.

n2s

There's probably a major difference in materials used and precision machining, ie M 16 vs AK47, and Maxpeditions knives probably closely resemble Mad Dog's and would not win in a courtroom, so he stopped the manufacturing.

 

[craytab]

There's probably a major difference in materials used and precision machining, ie M 16 vs AK47, and Maxpeditions knives probably closely resemble Mad Dog's and would not win in a courtroom, so he stopped the manufacturing.

The M 16 is vastly different than the AK47. Way more different than the Mad dog is to the Maxpedition.

Also, that article you link is old and available in the other threads on this subject. FWIW, you can go buy the Maxpedition version from some of our paid dealers right now.

 

[JD Mandrell]

Article the OP copied is from Jan. 2014....they have since reversed and are now selling them.

From the same website just a month later...

http://kitup.military.com/2014/02/maxpeditions-fixed-blades-menu.html

"Maxpedition owner Tim Tang has decided to start selling his new line of fixed-blade knives, despite accusations from Mad Dog Knives owner Kevin McClung that Tang ripped off his designs."

 

[powernoodle]

From Mr. Lappe's link: "McClung’s Mad Dog Knives cost between $700 and $1,300 each, but he said he isn’t worried about losing business to Tang."

If Mad Dog Knives doesn't lose any business over this, then he has no damages. And if there are no damages, there is no lawsuit.

 

[PURPLEDC]

There's probably a major difference in materials used and precision machining, ie M 16 vs AK47, and Maxpeditions knives probably closely resemble Mad Dog's and would not win in a courtroom, so he stopped the manufacturing.

The thing is manufacturing never stopped. It really never even paused. The products were announced and the guy took issue. Production ceasing was entertained but ultimately it never happened. Here is the thing, if there is a significant difference in quality, machining and materials and the maxpedition products contain no identifying marks representing them as mad dog knives then really there would be no mistaking one for the other in most situations. There is a difference between "counterfeit" and "homage" How many watches from 10 feet look identical to a Rolex? How much inspiration have korean automakers taken from european design in recent years? As for the bumping of threads? No one gets mad if a necro thread is bumped as long as new and relevant information is involved to warrant such an act. Its when people find a 5 year old thread and answer a question or reply to it as if it was yesterday that bothers people. Its simply a matter of using proper judgement. There are times when its best to bump and times when a new thread is a better idea and sometimes no action is the best action. I cant say what was best here. But I do know that the main point of this thread which was that they ceased production is not true and that a search would have helped anyone inquiring understand.

 

[GIRLYmann]

No disrespect to mdk, but it would make sense to workout an authorised factory copy someday
It's obvious that the originals as it stands,
is quite of of reach to most budget conscious consumers who might actually want one.
Granted that it might never equally stand up to the abuses and punishment expected of an original.
Think of it as the very same reason as to why folks end up buying cheap repros of anything
From the infamous cloned rolex to tacky cheap posters of the Mona Lisa...
It's a huge business feeding of people's unattainable material wants.
One that won't go away and will continue to thrive for as long as there are such consumers who have no personal guilt in seeing any harm in the act of self deceiving one's ego through the purchase of goods with naturally lower grades or standards.
Pretty ironic, once you realise that goods of the highest quality get cloned simply because of having a recognised reputation of having been made to the highest manufacturing quality.

 

[D R E]

No disrespect to mdk, but it would make sense to workout an authorised factory copy someday
It's obvious that the originals as it stands,
is quite of of reach to most budget conscious consumers who might actually want one.
Granted that it might never equally stand up to the abuses and punishment expected of an original.
Think of it as the very same reason as to why folks end up buying cheap repros of anything
From the infamous cloned rolex to tacky cheap posters of the Mona Lisa...
It's a huge business feeding of people's unattainable material wants.
One that won't go away and will continue to thrive for as long as there are such consumers who have no personal guilt in seeing any harm in the act of self deceiving one's ego through the purchase of goods with naturally lower grades or standards.
Pretty ironic, once you realise that goods of the highest quality get cloned simply because of having a recognised reputation of having been made to the highest manufacturing quality.

That and the association with NSW doesn't hurt either

 

[Razdrazchelloveck]

This is probably the silliest case I've seen on here. The knife design in question is such a simple and minimalist design (but effective), same goes for the sheaths. No frills whatsoever. In fact, to try and claim the Maxpedition knife designs are part of someone's intellectual property rights is really sad imo. There aren't any inherently identifying features about these knives that would point to any designer, seriously, a clip point, satin, plastic handle, no frills whatsoever... To try and claim that this knife is your intellectual property/patent or whatever would make all fixed, full flat ground, plastic handled knives infringement. Sorry, but it's too basic of a design to really complain about someone copying it.

 

[craytab]

Article the OP copied is from Jan. 2014....they have since reversed and are now selling them.

From the same website just a month later...

http://kitup.military.com/2014/02/maxpeditions-fixed-blades-menu.html

"Maxpedition owner Tim Tang has decided to start selling his new line of fixed-blade knives, despite accusations from Mad Dog Knives owner Kevin McClung that Tang ripped off his designs."

Yup. That is why folks should do a little research before posting stuff like this. Anyone paying attention already knows this story. If you don't know this story, then go look it up rather than starting a thread with misleading and out right wrong information.

"so he stopped the manufacturing" Lol. Wrong...

 

[bodog]

I guess MDK needs to have a talk with Gayle Bradley and Spyderco,too, because the bowie being produced by them also looks very similar to the knife in question.