I love RAT Cutlery but I felt I need to get the word out
I'm sort of reluctant to add this thread but I've received several phone calls from customers and also one from someone in NY saying the rumor is Ontario Knife Co. is planning on suing RAT Cutlery. The bottom line to all of this is we like Ontario. They're a good company. They have done well with the Ontario RAT line and we wish them continued success in what they do. Our contract with Ontario was over a long time ago. We are no under any contract with Ontario in any fashion. I do know that they filed paperwork with the Patent and Trademark Office on February 28, 2008 claiming ownership of the name "TAK 1" and "RTAK" As you all know the name RTAK goes back to the Newt Livesay Wicked Knife Co. days...long before Ontario. But that's really not an issue to us even though it is our intellectual property - in the same way we retained ownership of all our designs.
Mike and I both have tried to call Ontario and email them asking them what's going on and what's up with the rumor but no one will speak to us or email us. With that said, we haven't been served any papers either so I'm thinking that this whole business of getting sued is simply rumor since I'm not sure what they could even sue us for. Anyway, just know that RAT Cutlery is forging ahead and plan to be in this game for a long time to come. I know one of the dealers who emailed me was sort of worried since he planned on doing some advertising on RAT Cutlery. We have too much invested to quit now
One last thing, since Ontario refuses to communicate with us in any fashion, any Ontario RAT warranty work will have to go directly to them and not through us until things change and everyone gets happy again.
Well, Nick Trbovich Jr., CEO of Ontario just called me right after I posted this. They do have letters headed our way from their attorneys. What Nick told me on the phone is he wanted us to quit using the name RAT Cutlery and basically design for them since they had "so much time" invested in us. I thought we were going to be able to reach an agreement on the phone without having lawyers get involved but when he said we had to quit using the name RAT Cutlery, I told him no way. We have been known as RAT since our beginnings in 1997. I asked him how he felt going after a small company like this and he told me that he had to worry about his stock holders and employees. I'm pissed right now. I friggin' can't believe that a huge company like Ontario is going to sue a little piss-ant company like RAT Cutlery just when it's getting started. There is no way RAT Cutlery has the funding to defend against a long, drawn-out court battle such as this may be. Nick knows that and knows he can crush us with such frivolous suits.
