http://www.enlightenedequitation.com/
At last some good news
Let's just hope that Ansur don't start up again
At last some good news
Let's just hope that Ansur don't start up again
The Fhoenix FA is now available in the States :)
- Thread starter Bay Mare
- Start date
I think it's pretty much a done deal since they did put Ansur on notice and didn't get a response from them...
From Heather Moffet's website:
"Ansur Saddlery Ltd were sent a letter by our Portland, Oregon patent attorney, declaring our intention to sell the Fhoenix in the USA, the saddle having a patent applied for in it's own right, and containing a rigid component part, which the Ansur patent does not claim. The letter officially put Ansur on notice, and stated that if we did not hear from them, we would assume that they have no objections. Over a month has now passed with no response, so we have assumed that this is the case, and are intending to release the saddle for sale in the US from early January."
I believe that Ansur have/had? claimed a "world patent" on all treeless saddles. Seems a bit ridiculous to me, bearing in mind that I learnt to ride on a Barnsby pilch saddle in the early 1950's - and that certainly didn't have a tree - and neither do the saddles used traditionally by many working horsement in different parts of the world. I imagine they were more worried about competition from an even more conventional looking saddle than their own, and once they'd knocked down their major competition they would have gone after the less-conventional ones, too.
I always thought that competition was considered healthy in a capitalist society ... ah well, seems as if it's all over now!
"Ansur Saddlery Ltd were sent a letter by our Portland, Oregon patent attorney, declaring our intention to sell the Fhoenix in the USA, the saddle having a patent applied for in it's own right, and containing a rigid component part, which the Ansur patent does not claim. The letter officially put Ansur on notice, and stated that if we did not hear from them, we would assume that they have no objections. Over a month has now passed with no response, so we have assumed that this is the case, and are intending to release the saddle for sale in the US from early January."
I believe that Ansur have/had? claimed a "world patent" on all treeless saddles. Seems a bit ridiculous to me, bearing in mind that I learnt to ride on a Barnsby pilch saddle in the early 1950's - and that certainly didn't have a tree - and neither do the saddles used traditionally by many working horsement in different parts of the world. I imagine they were more worried about competition from an even more conventional looking saddle than their own, and once they'd knocked down their major competition they would have gone after the less-conventional ones, too.
I always thought that competition was considered healthy in a capitalist society ... ah well, seems as if it's all over now!
Yes, they were sueing Heather because they claimed that she had infringed their patent (that might not be the correct terminology, I'm not that up on patent law ). The fact that the two saddles were completely different appeared not to have anything to do with the matter OR that Ansur weren't exactly the first to have a treeless out (and that's not counting the treeless saddles from history!)
Unfortunately it would have been financial suicide for Heather to fight the case even if she won so she couldn't contest it (and they say that justice is fair!). Theoretically, Ansur are the ONLY company who can sell a TRULY treeless saddle, they have upset a LOT of people by their behaviour and I for one can only hope to see their business suffer because of their actions. I would never buy from them and know a lot of people who feel the same.
). The fact that the two saddles were completely different appeared not to have anything to do with the matter OR that Ansur weren't exactly the first to have a treeless out (and that's not counting the treeless saddles from history!) Unfortunately it would have been financial suicide for Heather to fight the case even if she won so she couldn't contest it (and they say that justice is fair!). Theoretically, Ansur are the ONLY company who can sell a TRULY treeless saddle, they have upset a LOT of people by their behaviour and I for one can only hope to see their business suffer because of their actions. I would never buy from them and know a lot of people who feel the same.
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