RockShox patent infringment of Answer patent

Eddie Cole, president of Answer Products has taken calls from Paul Turner at Rock Shox. The calls discuss the fact that the Rock Shox cartridge dampening system infringes on the Manitou fork dampening patent granted by the US government.

Rock Shox is insisting they be granted a license for use at a modest royalty or will fight Answer in court.

This may affect adversly the Rock Shox public stock offering, though the problem is mentioned abtusely in the prospectus.

This would affect the Judy XC and SL fork as well as the Indy SL, XC and DH models.

If Answer asks for an injuction against further manufacturing, imagine how it would affect deliveries of complete bicycles in the crucial February to June window of 1997.

Answer is regarded as good natured about things like this and an understanding is expected to be arrived at, but how awkward it may become is unknown.

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