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HK screws the consumer again! Get your GSG-5 while you still can!

6K views 27 replies 22 participants last post by  BWilhelm 
#1 ·
October 12, 2009

Re: Heckler and Koch, Inc. vs. German Sport Guns GmbH, American Tactical Imports,
Inc. Civil Action No. 1 : 09-cv-00039-WTL-JMS (S.D. Indiana)

For immediate release,

We are very pleased to report that the litigation filed by Heckler & Koch, Inc. against
German Sport Guns GmbH and its U.S. distributor, American Tactical Imports, Inc.,
together with all counterclaims, has been settled.

The terms of the settlement are confidential to the parties and cannot be disclosed. A
dismissal of the above-referenced litigation, and all of the party’s claims against each
other, is expected to be filed in the near future.

Attorneys for H&K will be issuing a statement. The attorneys for ATI have already
issued a statement announcing the settlement.

Production and importation of the original design GSG-5 ceased as of Oct, 8, 2009 with
the signing of the agreement. The remaining inventory now in the USA can be sold by
ATI, all distributors and dealers. ATI currently has GSG-5’s in stock.

All sales of the GSG-5 by ATI must conclude by January 31, 2010. ATI will continue to
service every firearm that it imports into the USA.

Thank you for your support.

Anthony DiChario
President C.E.O.
American Tactical Imports, Inc.
 
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#4 ·
What legal "leg" is HK standing on? Design patent? Utility patent?

EDIT: Nevermind. Reading some about it now.
 
#7 ·
After reading some, I think the lawsuit is based on the violation of trade dress infringement. How it doesn't relate to PTR and other manufacturers who've flew past the HK radar, I don't know.
 
#12 ·
The consumer gets screwed, because the HK MP-5 is a Spanish CETME rifle clone, made in 9mm Luger. German Sport Guns made a clone of the MP-5 in .22LR. The GSG-5 could be considered a CETME rifle made in .22LR. At approximately $500, the GSG-5 is as close as most consumers will ever get to owning an MP-5. I don't think HK is losing customers to GSG, if you have the money to buy an HK MP-5, you're probably not worried about saving money by shooting .22LR. HK is just a bunch of jerks, they're just pi$$ed they didn't think of a .22LR semi-auto version first, so they're throwing a temper tantrum, and throwing their weight around.
 
#18 · (Edited by Moderator)
HK doesn't want anyone making a look-a-like of one of their designs. What is wrong with that? HK doesn't give a damn about some plastic POS rifle especially in .22


The consumer gets screwed, because the HK MP-5 is a Spanish CETME rifle clone, made in 9mm Luger. German Sport Guns made a clone of the MP-5 in .22LR. The GSG-5 could be considered a CETME rifle made in .22LR. At approximately $500, the GSG-5 is as close as most consumers will ever get to owning an MP-5. I don't think HK is losing customers to GSG, if you have the money to buy an HK MP-5, you're probably not worried about saving money by shooting .22LR. HK is just a bunch of jerks, they're just pi$$ed they didn't think of a .22LR semi-auto version first, so they're throwing a temper tantrum, and throwing their weight around.
 
#13 ·
#19 ·
"using licensed equipment or equipment the bought from the Germans/H&K for the PTR line of rifles. IIRC, I may be wrong or mis-informed"

You are indeed incorrect. PTR's equipment & early batch of parts came from Portugal. As that country has a licensing agreement with H&K maybe that kept the Huns off PTR's back. Plus, its owners were from Argentina, and we all know the Teutonic fondness for that land .............

If you've ever had to deal with H&K you'd know what an arrogant bunch they are.
 
#23 · (Edited)
HK owes nothing monitarily to CETME. The CETME was primarily designed by Ludwig Vorgrimler, a German firearms designer using the delayed roller block system refined in the MG42 and later used in the ST44. Among other German firearms companies, he worked for Mauser until 1945.
About 1956 he returned to Germany from Spain, and was recruited to work for HK by HK chief engineer Alex Seidel (inventor of the HSc pistol). Vorgrimler decided rather to work for his old company, Mauser, instead. Heckler and Koch were Mauser designers, as was Alex Seidel before the surrender of Germany at the end of the war and the later formation of H&K.

HK paid CETME handsomely for the rights to produce the G3, based heavily on the CETME design which was the product of Vorgrimler and assistants who worked at Reinmetall in Germany before the end of WWII. At least HK didn't rip CETME off for using their design, which is more than you can say for the GSG people.

How would you like it if another company started producing a weapon based on a patented design you paid a lot of money to use or a patented design of your own invention and didn't want to pay you to do so? I don't blame HK one bit for taking this action.
As for their customer service, everybody bashes them but I wonder how many of the critics have actually dealt with HK customer service? I agree they could be better but I bought my first HK pistol from them, a PSP in 1984 and I have several HK pistols since then and they have always been pretty cooperative with me. They sent me 7 free O rings for my HK CT 45 threaded barrel even though they could have charged me the crazy $8.00 apeice they wanted for them. They've sent a couple of extra free USP 40 cal magazine springs when I ordered two of them. They contacted me when I sent my CT 45 back to them for Novak's high rise sights and they charged me $10 less for them than Novaks was charging, and offered me a new pistol when Novaks chewed up the slide when removing the small sights, and then ate the cost of the high rise sights because of the troubles they (actually Novaks) caused me when they sent me the new pistol. They've sent me numerous clothing articles over the years for free. Are they as good as S&W's customer service? No, but they are not nearly as bad as I see people writing about them all the time. Sorry gents but I get really tired of reading about how lousy HK is. I've seen far worse products and customer service than they offer and I sure as heck would challenge another company making a clone of one of my products without my express permission and without paying me to do so.
 
#24 ·
HK owes nothing historically to CETME. HK designed the rifle and also had techinical people go to Spain for production start up way back when.
I don't blame HK for protecting their patents either. How would you like it if you spent years and a ton of money developing a firearm and somebody else came along and started producing a variation in 22lr and didn't want to pay you for the design? If the design was yours would all of you be happy to just let another company use it for free? I don't think so........
Its not really HK's design, its merely the "look" or "style." Unless I see locking rollers on a GSG-5, its only a .22 that looks like an MP5. No different than a Fiero dressed up with a kit to look similar to a Ferrari.
 
#26 ·
I wonder if the same people who defend hk also would defend sara brady, or fienstein, or clinton for also not wanting us to have access to firearms? Because hk shows through there treatment of the american consumer how they do not want us owning 'assault rifles'.....You would think that hk would notice this demand, and start making them....but no. They would produce the EXACT SAME FIREARM, OR MAYBE JUST LICENSE GSG TO MAKE THEM, AND THEN SELL THEM FOR 1500 DOLLERS.

God I hate hk. Ugly, overrated, overpriced.
 
#27 ·
I have one and it's fun, fun, fun....part of the problem was the fact that the GSG box had MP5 above the inventory bar code....:eek:
 
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