Soooo .... is it safe to buy an Atlas?

race
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Edited Date/Time 8/31/2012 1:54pm


Been waiting to pick up a neck brace. I like the "Stay off of the spine" design and wanted to see if this thing is legit.

"
ATLAS BRACE AWARDED CE CERTIFICATION

Press release: Atlas Brace Technologies is please to announce that after being subjected to 3rd party testing, the Atlas Brace is now CE certified to meet the following European standards:

89/686/EEC - Personal Protective Equipment Directive.
EN 1621-2 :2003 - Motorcyclists’ back protectors against mechanical impact.
EN 340:2003 - General requirements of protective clothing.
me-int 074-00 - Ergonomics/Tensile strength.

CE Marking on a product is a manufacturer's declaration that the product complies with the essential requirements of the relevant European health, safety and environmental protection legislation, in practice by many of the so-called product directives.

Atlas Brace Technologies is based in Surrey, British Columbia Canada. Founded in 2011, Atlas is the home of the first racer designed, racer tested next generation neck brace, the Atlas Brace. The Atlas Brace™ was uniquely designed and engineered to be only of the highest level of safety, comfort, mobility, and forward thinking ideas... For more information on the Atlas Brace, please visit www.atlasbrace.com.
"

Do they already have DOT cert? Do they do DOT for neck braces?

Any reviews besides MXA?

Anyone have one?
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ProMoto
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6/28/2012 5:25pm
Nobody knows. In pictures and on paper it looks like the best neck brace. Weimer rocks it and he can run anything.
race
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6/28/2012 5:31pm
Well, I just found this on a DH board thread about neck braces -

"
Leatt sues Atlas for infringement on two neck brace patents

Published on January 31, 2012 at 5:37 AM · No Comments


Leatt Corporation (OTC: LEAT.PK) ("Leatt" or the "Company"), a global developer, marketer and the distributor of the Leatt-Brace®, a neck brace system designed to help prevent potentially devastating injuries to the cervical spine (neck) for helmeted sports, announced today that the Company has sued Atlas Brace Technologies US, LLC ("Atlas") for infringement on two of the Company's neck brace patents.

Leatt is the exclusive licensee of certain patents, manufacturing, sale, use and distribution rights held by Xceed Holdings CC ("Xceed"), a South African company owned by Leatt's founder, Dr. Christopher Leatt, including the patents to the Leatt-Brace®. On October 21, 2011, the Company sent a letter to Atlas' subsidiary notifying them that certain models of Atlas' neck braces infringe on the Company's patents, demanding that Atlas cease and desist the manufacture, use, offer and sale of such products. Instead of complying with the Company's request, on or about December 1, 2011, Atlas brought suit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California seeking a declaration that Atlas does not infringe on the Leatt neck brace patents. On January 18, 2012, the Company filed an Answer and Counterclaim with the Court, denying Atlas' claims and countersuing Atlas (with Xceed) for patent infringement of the Leatt neck brace patents. The Company is also seeking injunctive relief, damages for Atlas' willful infringement of the Leatt neck brace patents, and attorneys' fees.

Sean Macdonald, the Chief Executive Officer of Leatt Corporation, remarked "we are disturbed by Atlas' filing of this action in response to our initial letter and by their continued infringement on our patents. We will take all necessary action to vigorously prosecute and enforce Leatt's intellectual property rights which protect the product internationally."
"

The Shop

stillwelding
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6/28/2012 6:37pm
race wrote:
Well, I just found this on a DH board thread about neck braces - " Leatt sues Atlas for infringement on two neck brace patents Published...
Well, I just found this on a DH board thread about neck braces -

"
Leatt sues Atlas for infringement on two neck brace patents

Published on January 31, 2012 at 5:37 AM · No Comments


Leatt Corporation (OTC: LEAT.PK) ("Leatt" or the "Company"), a global developer, marketer and the distributor of the Leatt-Brace®, a neck brace system designed to help prevent potentially devastating injuries to the cervical spine (neck) for helmeted sports, announced today that the Company has sued Atlas Brace Technologies US, LLC ("Atlas") for infringement on two of the Company's neck brace patents.

Leatt is the exclusive licensee of certain patents, manufacturing, sale, use and distribution rights held by Xceed Holdings CC ("Xceed"), a South African company owned by Leatt's founder, Dr. Christopher Leatt, including the patents to the Leatt-Brace®. On October 21, 2011, the Company sent a letter to Atlas' subsidiary notifying them that certain models of Atlas' neck braces infringe on the Company's patents, demanding that Atlas cease and desist the manufacture, use, offer and sale of such products. Instead of complying with the Company's request, on or about December 1, 2011, Atlas brought suit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California seeking a declaration that Atlas does not infringe on the Leatt neck brace patents. On January 18, 2012, the Company filed an Answer and Counterclaim with the Court, denying Atlas' claims and countersuing Atlas (with Xceed) for patent infringement of the Leatt neck brace patents. The Company is also seeking injunctive relief, damages for Atlas' willful infringement of the Leatt neck brace patents, and attorneys' fees.

Sean Macdonald, the Chief Executive Officer of Leatt Corporation, remarked "we are disturbed by Atlas' filing of this action in response to our initial letter and by their continued infringement on our patents. We will take all necessary action to vigorously prosecute and enforce Leatt's intellectual property rights which protect the product internationally."
"
The fact that "Atlas" replied with a counter suit tells me they are confident that "Leatt" will not prevail.
monty
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6/28/2012 7:46pm
the comfort is prob the best out there..
try it you will be very impressed
mfd1068
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6/28/2012 7:54pm
I have one. Been using it for 3 months now. Very comfortable with good range of motion. I use the elastic straps and there is no movement that I notice. It feels a little heavy when you first pick it up but once on, I do not even notice it. I owned a Leatt before and The Atlas does not feel as constricting. The lower profile of the Atlas feels better to me. No major get off's yet with it.
mx757
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6/28/2012 8:05pm
Meg?
Roscoe33
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6/28/2012 8:50pm Edited Date/Time 8/30/2012 5:44am
Atlas was developed by Candaian pro mxer Brady Sheren and has been worn and tested many times Kyle Beaton.
rjs
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6/28/2012 9:05pm
And so does Matt Georke, Jeremy Medaglia, and Tyler Villopoto.

Teddy Maier is the latest one to switch to Atlas.
exsarg
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6/29/2012 6:13am
and the allison bros
GuyB
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6/29/2012 10:06am
race wrote:
Well, I just found this on a DH board thread about neck braces - " Leatt sues Atlas for infringement on two neck brace patents Published...
Well, I just found this on a DH board thread about neck braces -

"
Leatt sues Atlas for infringement on two neck brace patents

Published on January 31, 2012 at 5:37 AM · No Comments


Leatt Corporation (OTC: LEAT.PK) ("Leatt" or the "Company"), a global developer, marketer and the distributor of the Leatt-Brace®, a neck brace system designed to help prevent potentially devastating injuries to the cervical spine (neck) for helmeted sports, announced today that the Company has sued Atlas Brace Technologies US, LLC ("Atlas") for infringement on two of the Company's neck brace patents.

Leatt is the exclusive licensee of certain patents, manufacturing, sale, use and distribution rights held by Xceed Holdings CC ("Xceed"), a South African company owned by Leatt's founder, Dr. Christopher Leatt, including the patents to the Leatt-Brace®. On October 21, 2011, the Company sent a letter to Atlas' subsidiary notifying them that certain models of Atlas' neck braces infringe on the Company's patents, demanding that Atlas cease and desist the manufacture, use, offer and sale of such products. Instead of complying with the Company's request, on or about December 1, 2011, Atlas brought suit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California seeking a declaration that Atlas does not infringe on the Leatt neck brace patents. On January 18, 2012, the Company filed an Answer and Counterclaim with the Court, denying Atlas' claims and countersuing Atlas (with Xceed) for patent infringement of the Leatt neck brace patents. The Company is also seeking injunctive relief, damages for Atlas' willful infringement of the Leatt neck brace patents, and attorneys' fees.

Sean Macdonald, the Chief Executive Officer of Leatt Corporation, remarked "we are disturbed by Atlas' filing of this action in response to our initial letter and by their continued infringement on our patents. We will take all necessary action to vigorously prosecute and enforce Leatt's intellectual property rights which protect the product internationally."
"
The fact that "Atlas" replied with a counter suit tells me they are confident that "Leatt" will not prevail.
It's part of doing business when you're trying to protect intellectual property. How many times have Apple and Microsoft sued and counter-sued each other...while continuing to work together on some things.
MX45
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6/29/2012 1:24pm
And the costs get passed on to the consumer.
GuyB
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6/29/2012 2:12pm
MX45 wrote:
And the costs get passed on to the consumer.
Which is no different from any other industry.
MX45
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6/29/2012 2:59pm Edited Date/Time 6/29/2012 3:00pm
I know, I get it.
I just wish there was a moral exception for safety gear/devices.

Like the "why are high-end helmets so expensive" discussion attributed some of the higher cost to patents and patent protecting.
It pretty much prevents any one product from being the BEST in terms of safety.

I personally feel some of these plastic neck brace companies are focused on 80% marketing and 20% safety anyway.
6/29/2012 7:13pm
MX45 wrote:
And the costs get passed on to the consumer.
Leatt invested a lot of his own money to develop a product where there was none. Without intellectual property, there would be no neck brace industry. You - the consumer - do not have to buy one. You have the option to purchase this product based on intellectual property. I think you're looking at this the wrong way.
6/29/2012 7:45pm
I don't know the details of the patent, but they likely all infringe his patent. A patent doesn't just cover the exact replica of a product - it covers the idea underlying it, assuming it's written correctly. So of course he sues everyone because most of the braces on the market are infringing his patent / idea. If someone came up with a completely novel design that did not infringe his patent, then that would be legal and innovation. You can't look at that brace and think that it doesn't try to accomplish the same thing as the Leatt.

If everyone were allowed to simply reverse engineer someone else's work, then there would be no reason for inventors to spend the money on research to create a new product. I repeat: Leatt made a product where there was none. You can't blame someone for protecting their investment (well, I guess you can if you think he's an asshole, but I think you're incorrect in placing that blame myself).

Another example of this was the Hans and Hutchens Devices for auto racing: they are two distinct designs that tried to accomplish the same thing. Unlike the Hutchens, the Defender restraint was sued by Hans - Google them and look at their designs. They should be sued: they are copying the design. No one should be outraged that Hans and Leatt are protecting themselves legally against infringing designs. Without them, many racers would have died or been in chairs.
jndmx
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6/30/2012 5:11am Edited Date/Time 6/30/2012 5:12am
If Leatt simply copied the idea of what football pads and auto braces do how did they get a patent?
And conversely if they do such a lousy job why are people copying them?

They created their own system to transfer the force, a system that is being used as a base for other companies.
You could argue the same about all of them as to how they work.

As Gibby said it isn't a unique situation, happens in business all the time.
Mike 13
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Fantasy
6/30/2012 5:45am
I switched from the leatt about 2 months ago because of the open spine design and quick disconnect front. I do not have any complaints, I would recommend it.
ATKpilot99
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6/30/2012 6:17am
I think the simple neck donut is more like whats been used in football. And don't the devices in Nascar have straps attached to the helmet?
mx510
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6/30/2012 7:44am
For Christs sake, we GET IT dude, you DONT like Leatt!!!!!!
redrider52
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6/30/2012 8:27am
ProMoto wrote:
Nobody knows. In pictures and on paper it looks like the best neck brace. Weimer rocks it and he can run anything.
Yes because Weimer is the standard for what works and what doesn't
rjs
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6/30/2012 8:27am
When Leatt sued Alpinestars, I thought that was crazy because the Leatt was nothing more than a motocross version of existing braces, but at least the Alpinestars brace was very similar in appearance (if not function) to the Leatt. And, in general, suing other companies for copying your IDEA (which wasn't Leatt's idea in the first place) when the other company's device did have significant differences, is simple evidence that Leatt is dedicated to predatory business practices. It would be better if they were dedicated to improving their own design and win in the marketplace instead of in the courthouse.


We have a winner!
mx510
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6/30/2012 10:26am
rjs wrote:
[i]When Leatt sued Alpinestars, I thought that was crazy because the Leatt was nothing more than a motocross version of existing braces, but at least the...
When Leatt sued Alpinestars, I thought that was crazy because the Leatt was nothing more than a motocross version of existing braces, but at least the Alpinestars brace was very similar in appearance (if not function) to the Leatt. And, in general, suing other companies for copying your IDEA (which wasn't Leatt's idea in the first place) when the other company's device did have significant differences, is simple evidence that Leatt is dedicated to predatory business practices. It would be better if they were dedicated to improving their own design and win in the marketplace instead of in the courthouse.


We have a winner!
So who exactly built the first motocross neck brace then? I am pretty sure if you were the one putting the R&D into the initial brace, then market it to a different group of consumers which you dont know if they will even buy in, you would want to protect your investment as well. This is NO different than what all other big business' do. Dont get so damn butt hurt about it. Here is an idea, dont buy one, let your opinion talk in your money spent.
chrisbuehler
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6/30/2012 11:18am
mx510 wrote:
So who exactly built the first motocross neck brace then? I am pretty sure if you were the one putting the R&D into the initial brace...
So who exactly built the first motocross neck brace then? I am pretty sure if you were the one putting the R&D into the initial brace, then market it to a different group of consumers which you dont know if they will even buy in, you would want to protect your investment as well. This is NO different than what all other big business' do. Dont get so damn butt hurt about it. Here is an idea, dont buy one, let your opinion talk in your money spent.
You're the only one that seems butthurt in this thread. They are just giving opinions
6/30/2012 2:17pm
The Hans is designed for a totally different force/application. That's why Hans didn't sue Leatt but did sue Defender. If there truly are rodeo / football designs that are the same, then they have the right to sue Leatt. And he didn't need to do all the research he did. I think some are generalizing a bit far though: you could take some arguments in this thread and say "well, others had created braces before that were meant to transfer forces" pretty far back.

I can see why people are upset about others not being able to evolve Leatt's design. It would be best for us if they could. But the market is designed to protect the inventor - for a period of time. The system wouldn't work otherwise.

It is estimated to cost about one billion dollars to develop any new drug. Once developed, some random company can reverse engineer the molecule, add a methyl group to it and call it "improved" for less than a million dollars. If that happened, would you fault the original company for suing the second and claim that they should just evolve their drug to be better than the copy? If that were legally allowed to happen, do you think we'd have new drugs hitting the market?
Három
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6/30/2012 3:44pm Edited Date/Time 6/30/2012 3:48pm
The Hans is designed for a totally different force/application. That's why Hans didn't sue Leatt but did sue Defender. If there truly are rodeo / football...
The Hans is designed for a totally different force/application. That's why Hans didn't sue Leatt but did sue Defender. If there truly are rodeo / football designs that are the same, then they have the right to sue Leatt. And he didn't need to do all the research he did. I think some are generalizing a bit far though: you could take some arguments in this thread and say "well, others had created braces before that were meant to transfer forces" pretty far back.

I can see why people are upset about others not being able to evolve Leatt's design. It would be best for us if they could. But the market is designed to protect the inventor - for a period of time. The system wouldn't work otherwise.

It is estimated to cost about one billion dollars to develop any new drug. Once developed, some random company can reverse engineer the molecule, add a methyl group to it and call it "improved" for less than a million dollars. If that happened, would you fault the original company for suing the second and claim that they should just evolve their drug to be better than the copy? If that were legally allowed to happen, do you think we'd have new drugs hitting the market?
I'm not arguing IP law with you because it has a place and a purpose. However, I will discuss a bad argument. Hans didn't sue Leatt because they are not a direct business competitor. Link to the patent. http://motocrossactionmag.com/Reviews/News/Inside-the-Leatt-Neck-Brace-…

And to address your final question I would like to pose another rhetorical question. Do you think anyone does anything other than for financial gain?
6/30/2012 4:12pm
Három wrote:
I'm not arguing IP law with you because it has a place and a purpose. However, I will discuss a bad argument. Hans didn't sue Leatt...
I'm not arguing IP law with you because it has a place and a purpose. However, I will discuss a bad argument. Hans didn't sue Leatt because they are not a direct business competitor. Link to the patent. http://motocrossactionmag.com/Reviews/News/Inside-the-Leatt-Neck-Brace-…

And to address your final question I would like to pose another rhetorical question. Do you think anyone does anything other than for financial gain?
Not sure I understand your arguments. OK, Leatt's patent application was finally approved. I have to admit that I wasn't in the mood to read the patent, but I searched for Hans and didn't see anything on the page related. So I don't understand the point you are trying to make. Are you trying to say that, because it took the government years to approve the application, that they can't protect themselves in the intervening period?

And, no, I don't think anyone does anything other than for financial gain. That's the entire point of capitalism, and that's why the system is designed the way it is.

I guess we generally agree, however, that IP has a place and purpose. I certainly don't agree with all the details of IP law and I'll bet we could find common ground to complain about that over a beer. Smile
zippy895
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6/30/2012 4:38pm Edited Date/Time 6/30/2012 4:40pm
with garmin and tomtoms now,who needs an atlas

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