Clone rifles and patents
Copyright / patents only have a limited lifeime. Long enough to give the inventor the commercial edge and get his products established in the marketplace without fear of unfare competition.
Take Dyson hoovers. They invented the cyclone and patent protected them from any other manufaturer using a cyclone. That protection allowed them the time to become a market leader. Now the patent has run out, just about every hoovers got a cyclone. Giving us more choice and lower prices if we're not after the "name".
So whats wrong with older designs and ideas in air rifles being copied. Agreed it's a no no if still protected by a patent. But things like the Rekord trigger are 50 odd years old ! It works well, so why not build it into chinese or any other brand of rifle ? No point in re-inventing the wheel.
The market will ultimately decide if these cheaper clone rifles sell. As to quality, well that remains to be seen. But safety is well covered by legislation determining what can be sold in the uk. No importer is going to risk his business selling dodgy pcps that are likely to end up with serious legal and financial consequences.
Just my twopence worth...
Tony
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