It says that in article? > For many years, they held the patent on Topre switches. However, in the mid-2000s, that patent expired. Despite other companies now

It says that in article? > For many years, they held the patent on Topre switches. However, in the mid-2000s, that patent expired. Despite other companies now being able to make Topre-clones, the Topre name was exclusive for many years and gained quite a reputation for themselves.