Archived from the Tools In Action forum (Makita). This thread is read-only.
Doesn’t Makita have patent protection? Why so many un-known brands sell 18V LITHIUM replacement battery for Makita power tools on Amazon & Ebay without any problem. I’m not quite understand it, can anyone explain a little bit? Thank you.
It’s a common problem among all the tool brands now with 3rd party battery packs showing up on Ebay and Amazon. I guess they don’t feel its worth the effort to go after them right now.
I don’t see why there would be a problem. They don’t have the Makita logo anywhere on them, and obviously they don’t have the same PCB.
The only thing that could be similar to the original batteries is the connector and but I’m pretty sure it’s modified enough to not break any patent.
It’s a good thing that there are compatible batteries out there, choice is good, free market is good. Patents are a cancer to technological advancement, they are the reason why all the breakthroughs that you see on the news every day never get implemented in mass products. Most of them are not even owned by the inventors, but by some greedy individuals who just buy the ownership rights and leech of the patent lawsuits for years. Apple is the most obvious example.
Not really surprising, a lot of not so legal stuff can be found on Ebay or Amazon, think of all these super cheap windows or office CD keys that are sold without any certificate. Sometimes they come from sellers having tons of positive reviews.
kat wrote:
1 hour ago, kat said:
It’s a good thing that there are compatible batteries out there, choice is good, free market is good.
Are you using some?
Put aside the ideological aspect, I am a bit reluctant to use battery packs from unknown brands, mainly for safety reasons.
kat wrote:
1 hour ago, kat said:I don’t see why there would be a problem. They don’t have the Makita logo anywhere on them, and obviously they don’t have the same PCB.
The only thing that could be similar to the original batteries is the connector and but I’m pretty sure it’s modified enough to not break any patent.
It’s a good thing that there are compatible batteries out there, choice is good, free market is good. Patents are a cancer to technological advancement, they are the reason why all the breakthroughs that you see on the news every day never get implemented in mass products. Most of them are not even owned by the inventors, but by some greedy individuals who just buy the ownership rights and leech of the patent lawsuits for years. Apple is the most obvious example.
Hi Kat, I understand your point, but I just feel confused because Makita has sued one company called Kastar, here is the link FYR https://zh.scribd.com/document/340420043/Makita-v-Kastar-Complaint Why he only sue specific company but now there is no any problem for so many other sellers selling replacement batteries on Amazon or Ebay? Do you have any idea?
No. Probably because they can’t sue all of them? And what guarantee they have they will win?
I don’t think these batteries are unsafe. Cylindrical cells are not that dangerous as pouch cells like those used in phones and tablets.
kat wrote:
1 hour ago, kat said:No. Probably because they can’t sue all of them? And what guarantee they have they will win?
I don’t think these batteries are unsafe. Cylindrical cells are not that dangerous as pouch cells like those used in phones and tablets.
Less dangerous atleast yes