#Law

Note to all readers. This information was in error. I had an attorney who represents many FFL’s across the country with license matters as well as NFA cases contact me. I’ve consulted with him several times on these types of matters. He informed me there has been no change in the law or BATF policy. Local law enforcement does not have to do the fingerprints.

The United States government has won a major firearms-related victory in Federal appeals court today, regarding claims of patent infringement by Liberty Ammunition, LLC. Liberty had claimed that the US Army’s M855A1 EPR and M80A1 EPR projectiles infringed on its patent, US 7,748,325 for a multi-piece construction projectile. The claims court this case was submitted to ruled in favor of Liberty, but today that decision has been overturned by the Federal appeals court, which is the “final word” on the case (unless it somehow gets taken to the Supreme Court, an unlikely event).

Heckler and Koch has won a major victory against the German government this week, regarding the sale of G36 assault rifles to Saudi Arabia. In the mid-2000s, Heckler and Koch sold tooling for the G36 to the Saudi government capable of producing 14,000 rifles per year. However, in 2008 the German government prevented the manufacture of rifles in that country without the exclusive production in Germany of five key components, without which the rifles could not be assembled. The company requested to export 28,000 rifle components and replacement parts to Saudi Arabia in 2013, but the government did not respond, resulting in the lawsuit from Heckler and Koch.

Remington’s lawsuit against Colt Defense, LLC, Fabrique Nationale Herstal USA, and the federal government has been dismissed by Senior Judge Nancy B. Firestone of the US Court of Federal Claims. The sealed lawsuit, which contested the award of a mega-million dollar contract to the two defendant companies, was filed on November 24th, of 2015. Although no judgment has been published yet, you can read the Order of Dismissal here.

Phil’s, Tom’s and my inbox have been blowing up with tips and emails from concerned gun owners worried about Mossberg’s lawsuits against 12 manufacturers of drop-in AR-15 trigger groups ( read our post here and here catch up with the drama). We are only aware of 12 manufacturers being sued, but there could well be others being sued or who have already settled. The one company notable for not being sued is CMC Triggers. They have licensed the patent from Mossberg and are supportive of the lawsuit. CMC made a public statement here.

Manufacturer of the Vector submachine gun, and parent company to Sphinx System AG, makers of high-end CZ 75 handgun derivative, may be in financial trouble. At the end of 2015, Sphinx System AG was declared bankrupt; now its parent company may be in danger as well due to court-ordered restructuring. From DWJ.de:

Kramer Defense, the company that introduced the 6.8x45mm UCC cartridge based on the .378″/9.6mm diameter case head of 5.56mm,  filed a patent on Aug 14, 2014 (approved Sept. 1, 2015) that has recently sent shockwaves through the 6.5 Grendel and cartridge wildcatting communities. The patent relates to bolts of larger diameter than the standard AR-15 bolt, coupled with cartridges of larger size and bore diameter. The most relevant section of the patent is below:

Connecticut gun manufacturer Stag plead guilty today to violating federal law, including the loss of 200 firearms from its record books, and the possession of 62 machine guns or receivers for machine guns not registered to the company. In the plea agreement that to the revocation of the company’s Federal Firearms License, owner Mark Malkowski agreed to sell Stag and never own another gun company again. The Hartford Courant reports:

L3 Communications, the holding company that owns EOTech, is being sued by the United States Government for fraud. Their products were the subject of a recent SOCOM warning that the EOTech holographic sights experienced shifting zero across different temperature ranges, which was also a factor in  Elite Defense, the international distributor for the sights, cutting ties with L3. SoldierSystems.net has more information on the lawsuit:

Controversial “smart gun” manufacturer Armatix has filed the German equivalent of Chapter 11 restructuring. From Fortune:

A few days ago the BATFE sent out a letter stating that it was not legal to use an arm brace, such as the SIG SAUER Pistol Stabilizing Brace, as a stock. SIG have responded with this statement …

Russia has clarified some of its rules regarding firearms licensees – added to the list of valid reasons for carrying a weapon this week was “self-defense”, a purpose not widely recognized in some other European countries. From Russia Today:

American Tactical Imports (ATI) is suing the Tennessee Arms Company (TAC) for patent infringement. ATI claims that TAC’s Hybrid Polymer Lower Receiver infringes on ATI’s patent 8,789,305 (“Hybrid lower receiver for a rifle”). This patent forms the basis for American Tactical’s OMNI Hybrid AR-15 Lower Receiver.

If you missed our last post on the subject, H&K are being sued by German Sports Guns and American Tactical Imports. GSG and ATI claim H&K did not own the rights to the MP5 design patent (that is the look of the gun, not the operation/internals) when H&K sued them for infringing on it with the GSG-22.  They are suing H&K for the same amount that H&K sued them back in 2009, a cool $16.5 million.

This is just sickening. Will Hayden, founder of Red Jacket Firearms which was featured on the Discovery show Sons of Guns, has been arrested for aggravated rape. He has been accused of raping his 11 year old daughter. Hayden was arrested earlier this month for molestation of a juvenile. Discovery have cancelled the show. Fox News reports …