Benro, more IP theft?

[Schewe]

RRS does have patents on some of their designs.

Then's up to RRS to protect their patents...

[Pingang]

Then's up to RRS to protect their patents...

Having a patent in US may prevent Benro selling the "quesitoned" products in US but will not stop them producing and selling in area the patent is not covered, base on indeed RRS has successfully got the patent protection.  There are also Kirt Enpterprise in the US doing very similar things, and Benro, among a few Chinese manufacturers, doing them. RRS is not a big company that may be they can consider to get patent protection for the biggest market but perhpas not the world market. The IP law was considered very new in human history, there are many great things designed and invented in a time everyone took liberty to copy without concern. 
Unfortunately, it is part of live.

[Ellis Vener]

Then's up to RRS to protect their patents...

Agreed.

[ripgriffith]

I guess, since Benro is Chinese, that we should just assume without question that they "stole" this design from  RRS, with no due diligence about patents, etc. 

[BernardLanguillier]

I guess, since Benro is Chinese, that we should just assume without question that they "stole" this design from  RRS, with no due diligence about patents, etc. 

I did in fact not know they were Chinese.

Cheers,
Bernard

[AFairley]

I don't think that's necessarily fair. There are enough 'grown ups' who should know better seem to think that anything on the internet is fair game, even here there's too little regard for IP eg last post of  http://www.luminous-landscape.com/forum/index.php?topic=36819.0

Part of the problem is that IP rights simply aren't well understood or explained to people.

Um, that link was to freeware to which the links had died.  Possibly not the best example to trot out on IP theft.

[ripgriffith]

Um, that link was to freeware to which the links had died.  Possibly not the best example to trot out on IP theft.

What does freeware have to do with IP theft?

[Ellis Vener]

Benro in the USA is distributed under the Induro name by the MAC Group, who also distribute Xrite, Mamiya, Profoto, and Leaf. If there were any real Patent infringement going on , the MAC Group USA would be a big fat target for Really Right Stuff to go after.