Tootsall

Sues for what, B15M? I have never seen a mouthpiece with a trademark, copyright, patent stamp, or any other mark other than make and/or model designation on it. Therefore copying one is not a "sueable" offense. No moreso than it is considered illegal trespass to cross a fence line that is not properly marked with suitable "No trespassing" signs appropriately posted at the correct distances apart and clearly legible from virtually all "angles of approach".

I'm afraid your hopes aren't going to be fulfilled on this one.

knf jazz cat

Does the Monette "promise" of better intonation and tuning carry over to the Kanstul copies??

Tootsall

Read what wiseone2 has to say about it. Apparently it does.

Horn of Praise

Hey folks,

I have no intention of getting in the middle of your discussion. But, I wanted to bring one relevant piece of information to the table. The Parduba 6 mouthpiece that I have has stamped on it:

Pat. No. 2,018,738

It is the only mouthpiece I have ever seen stamped as such.

On a side note, the Kanstul Mouthpiece Comparator shows you how close the Parduba 6 and Monette B4LD (the other mouthpiece I play) actually are. I love the B4LD, and couldn't figure out why the Parduba 6 worked for me also. Then I compared then with the comparator.

All the best.

Tootsall

Good point, Paul. I'd forgotten about the Parduba double-cup...never having seen one! However....I think we were talking in general terms about "mouthpieces" and whether or not it was illegal for one manufacturer to copy another's shape (since "shape" is all that's left after the materials are chosen).

I seem to recall that an idea or concept, to be patented, must be something "new and innovative" and not "readily apparent" to the average person. You CAN get a patent on an idea...even though that idea may never come to the point of being actually turned into "hardware".

Hmm...maybe its worth getting into one of the online search engines and seeing exactly what is in that patent; I believe that a patent is considered to be "open for public scrutiny".

Regards....and stay warm!

Horn of Praise

Hi tootsall,

Thanks for taking my comments in the spirit in which they were given. Parduba was able to receive a patent because the design is, essentially, two cups. However, aren't virtually all other mouthpieces a single cup? You see my point...except for inner dimensions they are all identical.

To the best of my knowledge, the Asymmetric would be the only one different from the Parduba and all others...the only other mouthpiece which is not a single (round) cup. If the Asymmetric is patented like the Parduba, then I guess that we have our answer.

All the best.

Tootsall

Paul,
Doesn't some guy named "Lynch" (no relation to the plater) have an assymetric mouthpiece? (Different from a "double cup")?
Ed

Horn of Praise

Hi Ed (tootsall),

Yes, that is the mouthpiece (Asymmetric) that I was referencing. It looks like a half-circle on top, with a flat bottom. So, it's not a double-cup (Parduba) or a symmetrical single-cup (like all the others). At one time they (Asymmetric) had a website. If they still do it should indicate if they are patented or not.

All the best.

bagmangood

has anyone played both a "real" monette and one of these copies?

ewetho

Who has the original rights to a moutpiece?? Maybe the guys who built the trumpets in King Tuts tomb. Those were basically mouthpiece shaped as you'd know it. Other than that the general design is basically passed through history. Are you gong to review every piece in history to make sure your have not copied a design previously used somewhere? Nope. Probably un-patentable other than odd changes such as a double-cup or asymmetric.

Have not played a Parduba Double Cup since High School. Weird it was. It was OK. Went back to my 20D2d at the time.