Sven Jeppesen
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 Re: $99 or $500 Gimbal | |
Sjjindra wrote:
Lars Johnsson wrote:
Sjjindra wrote:
Lars Johnsson wrote:
@Sjjindra,
Those Wimberley knock-offs are not hitting the market now (2012) They have been around many years. And this head didn\'t hit the market 2012 either
And the Wimberley head in your link was not from 1991. The one you see on the pic in your link is rather new
Lars
The paragraph I was referring to in the link was:
\"About the Wimberley Head
The Wimberley Head is a specialized tripod head for telephoto lenses. Its gimbal-type design allows you to rotate your lens around its center of gravity and thus easily manipulate very large lenses. Since its introduction in 1991, the Wimberley Head has become the industry standard for serious nature photographers.\"
I am relatively new to photography, so this is the first time I have seen a comparable gimbal head for such a price.
The overall point I was trying to make (in a tounge-in-cheek manner) was that it is a little over the top to assume that purchasing a comparable product, offered at a lower price than the original manufacturer\'s similar product, is illegal or that such a purchase, whether by oneself or others is in some way immoral.
Now if it had Wimberley stamped on the side and was being represented as an original product, and I knew it was not, then I would have a problem with it.
Thanks.
The original Wimberley head you are refering to here is discontinued. And was replaced with the head in your link many years ago.
And you actually wrote that it was ok because the knock-off hit the market now. And then the 20 years of the patent was gone. Neither of those statements where true.
I have seen the Chinese and other Asian Wimberley knock-offs for nearly 10 years time.
Lars and Smiert
Based on a few brief searches of the internet, Wimberley did not choose to apply for a patent to protect their original gimbal design. Evidently they did apply for a patent for their more recent model(s) in 2007. This is probably why products similar to their original design did not have to wait for a patent to expire.
From what I am reading online, A patent is to give one exclusive rights to a product, process, or technology, but only for a limited time, then it pretty much becomes public domain for other to imitate or develop further. This allows a technology to become more readilly available to more, usualy due to lower costs. I do not normally, nor do I expect others, to make it a practice to research the legality of a patent or whether one is still in effect before making a purchase.
As with Dove soap (and many other products), the patent has expired and they no longer have exclusive rights to the formula. My local pharmacy and grocery store, have a generic soap that says on the label, \"Comparable to Dove\" at about half the price and is almost as good as Dove, so I buy it sometimes and sometimes still buy the original. So unless CVS or Kroger are placing themselves at great liability, there is nothing wrong with comparing your product to \"the industry standard\" that it is comparable, but not necessarily equal, to.
Generic drugs, of course, have to meet the FDA standards, and other products still have to meet certain safety standards, where they apply, but the rights are no longer exclusive and we benifit from substantially cheaper prices.
I do not expect the gimbal head I ordered to be as good a quality as the Wimberley. I ordered mine through Amazon and payed a little more than Bifurcator\'s link, but that way I do have the option to return if not satisfied.
Thanks
This is not at all what you wrote before in your posts. You change it all the time to match your opinions. And to make your gimbal head and your conscience good  And how can you say it\'s ok if they got their patents 2007. Many of the Wimberley knock off heads are made after 2007.
And the Wimberley II head where made before 2007 also. They didn\'t compare their product against the industri standard Wimberley. They wrote that their head was based on the Wimberley. Comparing it with your Dove soap is just ridiculous.
If you like to use your knock off it\'s ok. I don\'t belive anyone here mind that. But don\'t change your story all the time to have a good conscience
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