DW Link Sues Giant Bicycles, Claiming Patent Infringement & Breach of Contract

Sounds like Giant is experiencing some buyers remorse?

Other than the way the shock is leveraged, how is this different from the Karpiel downhill bikes from the early 2000’s? Or is it just that he actually patented the idea?

That guy sues everyone.

Niner has a lower link that goes under the BB instead over, functionally they are identical yet they have a patent. This is “distinct and separate?”

DW: technology through litigation

This is ridiculous. Giant is such a small up-and-coming company, and now this huge behemoth DW is going after that. What about the camaraderie of the bicycling community? Why can’t they have lunch and settle this the honorable way instead of hiring lawyers?

Oh wait, this isn’t Specialized related? Funny how it’s okay for small companies to sue big ones, but big ones have to stand on the sidelines as smaller ones do whatever the F they want (see Volagi).

Of course, I’m being sarcastic, but will anyone for the “giant” company?

I bet Dave Weagle regrets ever talking to Giant. It sounds like they just shopped his technology and pretending they wanted to partner. In China, they don’t have a tradition of respecting intellectual property and this is another example of it. I take it as a lesson for a small guy with a patented idea – be very careful who you share and shop ideas with, even patented ones. Now, the 10,000 gorilla is trying to do their best to ignore and dismiss the idea the DW Link was first and patent protected.

As a biker, I have ridden both, like them the best of all designs and they feel the most similar to me (Meastro and DW Link). I know that is not the basis for a patent claim, but just saying.

I’m with randy on this one.

I’ve owned both and they are really not comparable. The ride characteristics between the two designs are more than noticeable. I think that DW provided a really decent alternative to the FSR and older designs to some up-and-coming boutique brands, but IMO his design falls short to Giant’s application.
But, if Giant did ‘steal’ his design, then they need to nut up.

“Jib’s Mon” said it best.

Giant, you had better pay Dave fast. That is infringement, no doubt. Dave is a very smart man, and this is pretty blatant of Giant to do this. You have to have lawsuits like this to keep people and companies from stealing patent property from people or companies or you will be no better than China.

DeeEight got the point. In fact DW Link patent has been refused to apply in Europe, where apparently there is some competent people behind the desk when it comes to the content of the patent itself…

dave weagle. . .designer of such awesome suspension, like the iron horse hollowpoint, where the front derailleur would dig into (not even simply rub on) the lower link. yes, let’s get behind that guy. he’s done so much for us.

I’m with the guy who said the dw and maestro bikes look like a karpiel design. If dw is based on “characteristics” and not pivot placement then that’s just silly. This whole patent thing for “intellectual property” has gotten way out of hand. What if I’m a rider and develop a new body position when turning and start winning races. Can I patent that body position? Maybe Gwinn should have patented his approach to racing and sue anyone who tries to copy him.

“The difference between good and great suspension designs can often be minute or not measurable from the armchair engineer.”

How about the rider?

For those without IP experience, here’s what it comes down to – if you don’t protect your IP, all the money you put into the patent is worthless. A patent makes you no money – protecting your IP makes you money.

If Dave DOESN’T protect his IP, then he’ll have a much harder time protecting it in future lawsuits as well. If you allow infringing designs without some sort of agreement, you have a much harder time in court when you DO go after somebody. Especially in this case, where he approached Giant before their Maestro suspension came out, if he backs down then it basically opens up the Maestro design for anybody to copy, and point to the dropping of the other lawsuit as evidence that the design is non-infringing.

(FWIW, I have 1 approved patent and about 5 pending. Sadly, only as an inventor, not as the assignee, so I get jack squat for them!)

so if you develop an idea, to the point of it being optimized for a specific application, how can you make money off of it without the protection of a patent, when you start out alone, and some other company, possibly backed by another country’s government, has an infrastructure already in place that is optimized for the use of the ideas developed by others, for their own profit, with no benefit for the one who developed the idea in the first place? Why bother letting one’s idea see the light of day, then? Nobody says, “Those countries with cheap labor and no patent enforcement are leading our industry into the future.” They all say, “we need people to come up with the new technology to win.” If you want somebody else’s idea, you either take it where they can’t stop you, you pay them for it, or you come up with your own idea instead. If you have no idea of your own, you still have those other two options. I would hope that consumers recognize this, and choose accordingly.

Link to DW prior to DW: http://imageshack.us/a/img170/3505/img0007la2.jpg

The issue is DW Link just charged / wanted too much money. Giant agreed to it but in hindsight $1M to use his technology is just too much, and they should have shot straight about this. If you look at the Giant rear it is clearly a copy. I ride DW link – it is spectacular and I like how DW licenses and uses it and takes care of the little guy and the big guy alike. It seems like the problems are coming from the big guys. If / when negotiations break down then you have to defend yourself, your designs, and your patents. Props to DW for standing up for himself.