Omega (BadAss II Clone) Bridge

[uwe]

Much better - I'm relieved. The Badass is even more horrible on an EB than on a TB - and that is saying something.

[dadagoboi]

Love it, Al! The upside down finger rest does bother my OCD sensibilities, though.

[Pilgrim]

Love it, Al! The upside down finger rest does bother my OCD sensibilities, though.

I just returned it to its original location, so it's happy there.  The gaping hole at the neck was there when I got it, so Dave sold me a period mudbucker to fill it.  There isn't much you can't thump with a mudbucker and a Dimarzio Model 1 on the same bass.

[dadagoboi]

I just returned it to its original location, so it's happy there.

I'll rest easier tonight.  Or it will.

[BTL]

"Badass" is a registered Trademark - Serial #78357139 and 73576408

Trademark Status & Document Retrieval
Trademark Status & Document Retrieval

Owner:
Quan, Glen D.
561 Darien Way
San Francisco, CALIFORNIA UNITED STATES 94127

Attorney:
Ronald S. Bienstock
Bienstock & Michael, LLC
411 Hackensack Ave.
7th Floor
Hackensack, NEW JERSEY UNITED STATES 07601

US Design Patents were were granted in 2008 under serial numbers D570,399 (BAIII) and D259,119 (BAII).

United States Patent: D570399
United States Patent: D259119

The belief seems to be that Mr. Quan is deceased and there is nobody "minding the store".

The fact that Fender's Geddy and Allparts' Omega bridges are direct copies lead me to imagine this is true.

That said, I'm curious...were the LQBA bridges ever marked with a patent number?

Patent pending - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Apparently, having the product marked with the patent number is required, and I have not been able to find evidence of that on either the packaging or the models themselves.

[Dave W]

I looked it up, Glen Quan died 6/5/2006. No idea if the company still exists.

Look closely at those design patent dates. The BAII was actually filed in 1978 and granted in 1981, so it has expired. The BAIII was filed 6/5/2006 -- one week before Glen Quan died -- but not granted until 2008. It's valid, assuming there are heirs who want to enforce it, but AFAIK  no one's marketing a copy of the BAIII anyway.

A patent number doesn't have to be on a product, but it can make it difficult to enforce the patent if you don't.

[dadagoboi]

According to the first trademark document 'Badass' was renewed Feb 19, 2015 by Glen D. Quan.  Second one  is up for renewal.

[BTL]

Good catch on the patent dates.

My eyes get a little buggy after doing some of these searches...

It makes sense that the first BA bridge patent expired, and there appears to have been no application for the BAII.

The BAIII could be a drop-in replacement for the bridges I use, so it and its variants are of some interest to me.

I do see that the BAII/Omega design could be drilled to be string through as well.

That said, the Allparts BB-3575-010 is the best "off-the-shelf" alternative I've found so far, but it does not offer a top-load option.

https://www.allparts.com/BB-3575-010-String-Thru-Body-Bridge_p_688.html

[Dave W]

According to the first trademark document 'Badass' was renewed Feb 19, 2015 by Glen D. Quan.  Second one  is up for renewal.

The renewal was done by an attorney. Assuming Glen Quan is deceased, it would belong to his estate. But the trademarks are beside the point, they're trademarks on the name, and AFAIK no one else is using the Badass name for musical instrument goods or services. Omega certainly isn't.

The BAII bridge shape never was trademarked. They would have had to show a style element in addition to the function in order to do that. They got a design patent instead, and that's expired.

[Dave W]

Good catch on the patent dates.

My eyes get a little buggy after doing some of these searches...

It makes sense that the first BA bridge patent expired, and there appears to have been no application for the BAII.

...

That first patent is for the BAII, not the original. You can tell by the patent drawing, it's a 5-hole mount. The original BA had a three-hole mount.

[BTL]

That first patent is for the BAII, not the original. You can tell by the patent drawing, it's a 5-hole mount. The original BA had a three-hole mount.

Again, good catch.