Sure, patents are great, I personally believe in the benefits of patents.
I was just trying to understand why Company A got told off for infringing a patent and Company B did not.
(plus the fact that I was one of those guys itching for a DV8, then massively disappointed when they would not under-go a production run. But its all good.)
I guess I didn’t read the whole patent. There was a part that talked about a plastic body with metal rims, so I stopped there.
It also depends where a patent is registered. A patent registered in the USA is all but unenforceable anywhere else in the world (although some companies do seem to think they should be able to stitch up the whole world just by registering a US patent).
Speaking of patents, guess who licensed YYF’s hubstacks to, I’m assuming, be able to be sold in the US? I’ll give you a hint, these yoyos are so cheap some think they’re magical.
Er, Magic yoyo?
One Drop’s revenue stream related to Side Effects does not come from a license. You do not require a license in order to create an SE-enabled yoyo, if I understood David’s clarification correctly (somewhere on this forum less than 6 months ago).
However, other companies cannot manufacture side effects. And not too many companies are going to want to sell a yoyo with an empty hole through the halves. 
Shame? I see no reason why it’s shameful to protect their idea. Plus, there’s already a huge selection of underrated metal rimmed and bi metal throws. And what if you where on the other side? Would you like your idea being used over and over and over? It would go “mainstream” and not make much profit, especially if there are multiply companies competing with the same style product.
In my personal opinion, YYJ should just have a patent on plastic w/ metal rings. Other things, like the alu with steel rings, should be allowed. Jussayin.
Correct me if I am wrong, but YYJ doesn’t have any aluminum with steel rings, do they?
When applying for a patent, there’s an approach taken by anyone and everyone:… you need to be specific enough that it looks like an original idea or work, but general enough that you can ideally cover as many bases as possible.
“Plastic and metal” is more specific than “less dense and more dense materials”.
If the patent reviewers saw fit to award based on “less dense and more dense materials” then YYJ has done the best thing possible for their business. It would be up to the reviewers to say, “It needs to be more specific… which two materials exactly?”… and honestly, that wouldn’t be very logical. The principle for the patent doesn’t rely on plastic and aluminum, the principle relies on materials of different densities/masses.
Very true. Thank you 
YoYoJam does have some designs that are aluminum with heavier metal rings, such as the AI, Night Moves 5, and Next Level. They’ve also done models in the past that used heavier plastic (HG) as weight rings instead of metal. They’re just different implementations of the same concept, as GregP points out, and YYJ has applied that concept with a variety of materials.
I wonder if YYR has approached YYJ about some sort of licensing scheme? YYJ has never struck me as particularly predatory. I can’t believe that there is not a compromise that benefits everybody; especially American consumers.
you can’t patent am unoriginal idea. A bearing or yoyo body itself isn’t creative enough.
The heavier weighted material around the rim of a yoyo was original enough, at its time, to be patented. Meaning it hadn’t been done before, or the person who did have the idea originally, couldn’t stop yoyo jam.
The term “yoyo” was once patented, but was later dismissed because the term “yoyo” was to generalized between products and brands. (Almost bankrupting Duncan!)
No shame on yyj, it’s business. And if patents didn’t exists, no business would have any security whatsoever. The original ideas would be stolen by big time corporations and mass produced leaving everyone else behind. And they’d do it over and over again. It’ be piracy… Legal piracy.
I’m not trying to start an argument, or insult you. I’m just trying to explain by patents aren’t evil, but are for the greater good. To preserve originality, and keep out idea pirates.
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It was trademarked, not patented. Big difference.
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Instead large companies steal others’ ideas, patent them and then prevent the true inventors from profiting from their own ingenuity…So yeah, patents can be beneficial for society but unfortunately the way the system is currently set up has so many holes it’s almost time for a complete rethink to how modern society deals with intellectual property.
The name “yoyo” is still trademarked in Canada, by the way.
I know there’s a difference between patents and trademarks. I must’ve messed up. Patents come in two forms: 1.design patents 2. Invention patents
And deal with either inventions or designs
Trademarks deal with protecting a word or phrase. Such as… “Yoyo”.
And generalization comes later. Once a term becomes so commonly used its brought up in court and the trademark can be evoked. Or “un-trademarkable” because it’s been declared.
What is the denser rim material? Central ALU and rim TI?
On what yoyo?
Draupnir is steel rim
AI, Night Moves 5 and Next Level are bronze rim
Titan is titanium rim
Draupnor
Indeed
