The Alpine Hammock hit with patent suit from Clark Jungle Hammocks

[Celly]

Unfortunately, our patent system went off the rails some time ago. Patenting something like using what tents have had for over 30 years and bivy sacks for over 10 years is kind of ridiculous. It's like me copyrighting the phrase "kind of ridiculous".

Clark's patents were filed in 2009 and rely on the spreader bars spreading laterally only (i.e., not vertically) and without eliminating the "sag" in the hammock body. If you can find tents using something like that before 2009, then you are welcome to invalidate the Clark patents. Interestingly, they had to patent around (i.e. distinguish) the Lawson Blue Ridge hammock/bivy, which is quite similar, except it has a taut bottom.

In other words, Clark's patent protection is actually quite narrow. It shouldn't be too difficult to design around them.

Here are the patents and the patent prosecution histories for your review and entertainment (assuming I've attached them correctly).

US 8356370 Clark.pdfUS 8650679 Clark.pdfUS 12574166 File History Part 1.pdfUS 12574166 File History Part 2.pdfUS 13743788 File History Part 1.pdfUS 13743788 File History Part 2.pdf

[nothermark]

If you think that is dumb check software or look and feel patents.