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SAVE THE NRA: D-WAYNE THE SWAMP

Innocent until proven guilty – and I don’t have all the facts. Breakin' up... ...is hard to do? But... fair or not, it’s time for Wayne to go.  The NRA is far too important to our nation, to our rights, and to our industry to risk its well-being and very existence simply for the sake of ensuring fair treatment of one of its employees.  If by the time you read this Wayne LaPierre has resigned his position, I’ll salute him for doing right by the organization he has served for three decades – and I’ll let go of all the  [...]

By Ben Langlotz | May 29, 2019 | Firearms | 0 Comments Read More »

HOW TO FIX THE NRA

Should the Faces be bigger than the organization? (photo courtesy of Tom Gresham - guntalk.com) I might actually have been a gun rights nut before I was a true gun nut.  Before I became part of this industry in 2002, I had been the lead plaintiff and a legal strategist on a concealed carry civil rights case in Oregon that achieved a partial victory even with hostile judges.  I got a lot of mentoring from a “no-compromise” organization that continually criticized the NRA. I’m an NRA member and recognize the immense value and leadership the  [...]

By Ben Langlotz | May 14, 2019 | Firearms | 0 Comments Read More »

HOW TO PROTECT “COOL”…

HOW TO PROTECT “COOL” TWO FAMILIAR WAYS TO PROTECT PRODUCT DESIGNS, PLUS A THIRD WAY YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF AND CAN UNDOUBTEDLY AFFORD. Everyone wants a patent. It’s perfectly logical to want to protect a new product.  Technical innovations help set you apart in a crowded marketplace and a patent prevents anyone else from offering your innovation for 20 years. But let’s be honest, not every new product has patentable technical innovations.  Sometimes, what makes a successful product isn’t how it works or what it does, but how it looks.  Style sells,  [...]

By Ben Langlotz | March 20, 2019 | Books & Resources, Business, Copyright, Firearms, Firearms Industry Advice, How To, Intellectual Property Advice, Legal News, Marketing, Patent, Trademark | 0 Comments Read More »

SHOT 2019 – HOW TO HEALTHILY HANDLE HUNDREDS OF HANDSHAKES?

I’ll report on the health effects and proposals for the future, later in this issue.  Meanwhile, for SHOT Show number 18, I continued a more relaxed approach I started last year.  Instead of worrying about visiting every client, friend, and lead I possibly could, I focused on simply having a good show, and making each day count.  As a Buddhist friend put it: “You’re not supposed to keep constantly shaking the snow globe – you’ve got to let the snow fall and settle to appreciate it.”  By my rough review of the checkmarks on my “must visit list” I had  [...]

By Ben Langlotz | February 12, 2019 | Firearms | 0 Comments Read More »

A PEEK INSIDE MY SECRET PATENT PENDING FILES

The thing I love best about my work is all the cool secrets I get to learn.  The thing I like least is that I have to keep them secret.  This month is an exception, where a number of my clients have decided to let me reveal the secrets of their pending patent applications, possibly to generate potential interest among partners, licensees, or customers.  If anyone is interested in learning more, I’ll put you in touch with the right people. These are in no particular order, and I hope you find them interesting for a variety of reasons.  All are Patent Pending, a  [...]

By Ben Langlotz | January 11, 2019 | Firearms | 0 Comments Read More »

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER – HOW TO KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR INFRINGERS

When you own property rights like patents or trademarks, you have the right to stop infringers.  But only if you know they exist. Often an infringer will be operating below your radar and will come to your attention only late in the game, when the infringer is entrenched and reluctant to back off. How can we detect infringers as quickly as possible, so that their response is “Oops, sorry!” and not “So sue me!”?  We call it “policing.” Or “watching.” And it doesn’t happen automatically. Imagine you’re selling Redstone® brand pistols.  You’re  [...]

By Ben Langlotz | December 7, 2018 | Firearms, Firearms Industry Advice, Intellectual Property Advice, Patent, Trademark | 0 Comments Read More »