I am after some legal advice regarding creating accessories/disposables for other company’s products. While the issue in question relates to machinery in my engineering industry, I feel I can simplify the problem with the following analogy:
Is it a violation of IP to sell a vacuum cleaner bag, custom made in China, which has identical specifications (dimensions, precision etc) to bags supplied by the manufacturer of the vacuum?
I am unable to find any patents held by the company – however I am very inexperienced in this area..
Is it possible, in this analogy, these bags would be covered in a patent of the vacuum’s design? I also had very little success finding mention of a similar scenario on Australian and US IP websites.
Any advice, even if it is on where or what to look for, would be much appreciated!
PS: An IP lawyer isn’t in my bootstrapping budget, however I realise this is usually the only way to be sure.
Cheers
Is it a violation of IP to sell a vacuum cleaner bag, custom made in China, which has identical specifications (dimensions, precision etc) to bags supplied by the manufacturer of the vacuum?
I am unable to find any patents held by the company – however I am very inexperienced in this area..
Is it possible, in this analogy, these bags would be covered in a patent of the vacuum’s design? I also had very little success finding mention of a similar scenario on Australian and US IP websites.
Any advice, even if it is on where or what to look for, would be much appreciated!
PS: An IP lawyer isn’t in my bootstrapping budget, however I realise this is usually the only way to be sure.
Cheers
Dislike ads? Become a Fastlane member:
Subscribe today and surround yourself with winners and millionaire mentors, not those broke friends who only want to drink beer and play video games. :-)
Access Restricted: Unlock 1,000,000+ Posts
Stop Peeking Through the Keyhole.
Open the Door.
You hit a wall because the best advice isn't free—it's earned. Since 2007, MJ DeMarco has been active here daily (99.9% active rate), building a war room for entrepreneurs who refuse to settle for mediocrity.
- Active Daily: Life-changing content posted dozens of times every day. No dead threads.
- MJ's Inner Circle: Direct access to the author of The Millionaire Fastlane.
- Vetted Network: Connect with founders scaling to 7 and 8 figures.
- Proven Roadmaps: Strategy over motivation. Execution over "hustle porn."
"SCALED TO 6-FIGURE MONTHS"
"Tips and advice here saved me from huge mistakes, others allowed me to scale my business to 6-figure months."— User MitchC
"INSANE QUALITY OF PEOPLE"
"The number of high quality people I've met from this forum has been insane. All of it predicated on building real value."— User Richard Peck
"You are the average of the five people you surround yourself with."
Are you surrounding yourself with success?
