3 ms·
Sawstop is an innovative company that has some patents. Why wouldn’t they try to use them against a competitor?
by monochromatic 8y ago
Sawstop is an innovative company that has some patents. Why wouldn’t they try to use them against a competitor?
- LeifCarrotson 8y agoThey would try to use their patents offensively if their mission is to make as much money as possible. They would encourage manufacturers to adopt some form of safety system, even if it wasn't theirs, if their goal was to keep table saw users safe. There is some plausible deniability if the competing systems are not as good as theirs - is something better than nothing, or does it create a false sense of security, etc. - but it is pretty clear that Sawstop values profit over the safety of people who can't afford their system.
- monochromatic 8y agoYes, it is a company, not a nonprofit or an industry trade group.
- diggernet 8y agoIf they were just preventing people from making SawStop knockoffs, I'd be fine with it. But they aren't. The Bosch system protects the user through a completely different mechanism. The only thing the two have in common is the sensing of contact with the blade, which is basic physics. Worse, SawStop is trying to push legislation mandating their system. If they succeed, it would prevent any other system from being developed, even in the absence of patents. Imagine Microsoft pushing for a law requiring all computers to run Windows. "Why wouldn't they try"? Sure, they can try. And they would be hated for it. As is SawStop.