Hello. My name is Marty Ewer. I am a 47-year-old husband and father of two. I am also a veteran of the United States Air Force (Russian Cryptologic Linguist, Northern Japan, 1985–1990).
Today, I am the owner of a small business—Shockwave Technologies. I design, engineer, market, and sell niche firearm accessories. A few of these are the Raptor Grip for the Mossberg 500; the Raptor Grip for the Remington 870; and the ZMAG 30-round and 50-round magazines for the SWD M-11/NINE pistols, carbines, and SMGs.
Last year, I designed a new product called the Blade pistol stabilizer. I was inspired to develop the Blade after purchasing a competing product to see if it helped with marksmanship. It did—kind of. However, I was very put off by that product’s rubber cuff. I thought it was incredibly uncomfortable—and I wasn’t able to line up the sights properly. I also thought that product was heavy and bulky. As a long-time firearms product inventor, I knew I could come up with something better. And from customer feedback to date, I believe I did. “A better mousetrap,” as they say.
You can read more about the Blade pistol stabilizer here:
To ensure that my design was free and clear of any patent entanglements, I did my due diligence, hiring a patent attorney to review my device against everything else out there. After exhaustive research, my attorney wrote a Freedom to Operate letter on July 30, 2014, stating that my device did not infringe on any utility patents or design patents on record, including those of Alessandro “Alex” Bosco. With specific regard to Bosco’s design patent D706,896 for the SigTac SB-15, my attorney wrote: “[This is] not germane to your invention.”
I launched the Blade in early March of this year (2015). Much to my surprise—and that of everybody I’ve told this story to—NST Global LLC (aka SB Tactical aka Alessandro Bosco aka Alex Bosco aka Grant Shaw) filed a lawsuit against my company within just two months of the Blade hitting the market. Their claim? That I am infringing on Bosco’s cosmetic design patent, D706,896. Yes, the very same patent that my attorney wrote wasn’t even germane to discussions about the Blade. Looking at the pictures below, the two products couldn’t look more dissimilar in my opinion. (First two pictures courtesy of AR15news.com.)
There doesn’t seem to be a single merit to SB Tactical’s lawsuit. But it will be expensive to defend ourselves against these two guys. On the order of $500,000. That’s where we could use your help with a purchase or even a small donation. Every dollar helps.
Bosco and Shaw have stated (through their attorney, of course) that to resolve this lawsuit, they want me to stop selling the Blade. I obviously won’t do that. My blood, sweat, and tears are invested in my product. It is my original invention. I have my own patent pending for the Blade. And I’ve never been one to back down from a fight. The Blade doesn’t infringe on any of Bosco’s patents. It’s as simple as that. Besides, competition is good. As we all know, America was built on competition. Fair competition.
If you would like to help us defend ourselves against this apparently frivolous lawsuit, please make a small donation to our legal war chest. Or, buy one or more of our products. Everything we sell is designed and manufactured in the U.S.A. to the highest standards. And we strive to provide the best customer service in the industry.
Please spread this news as far and wide as you can. If you have an “in” with an online firearms news channel, please distribute this story to them.
Thank you and God Bless,
Marty Ewer