I need to vent.

So as i am sure some or most of you know about MT suing Demello over his kick out sliders. Supposedly they have a ™ on how the kickout attaches to the rub rail itself. Something about the angle. What a bunch of BS! It's a metal tube welded to another metal tube! There are only so many ways to do this. It's a shame as Jason has been forced to discontinue this product or face a lengthy court battle. I can understand protecting your intellectual property but this is a freaking joke! They don't even look the same! Funny thing is they sell Ironman 4x4 products which are an exact ARB rip off! I guess it's ok to sell BLATANT rip off designs on their website as long as it brings in money. I guess they didn't like that someone built a better mouse trap. That's too bad, competition drives this industry. i have always had a lot of respect for MT but this has put a real sour taste in my mouth. Rant over.

I saw that in the blue room, read tbrough some of it and laughed. It's a shitty part of the world when litigation comes into play over something as stupid as how a pair of sliders look. Is there really any benefit to a kickout on a slider other than as a step anyway??

It's probably less about protecting intellectual property and more about market domination. It's already a pain in the ass to get good aftermarket parts for the FJ and this isn't gonna help in that department. Your right, competition is good for everyone. Competition makes companies stronger and provides better products for the rest of us. This looks like they are trying to stifle competition. Sad that a company I've heard nothing but good things about would stoop to this level.