Holster Industry Shakeup: Crossbreed Goes After Hybrid Holster Makers, Claiming Patent Infringement

We received a tip from sharp-eyed reader J R today with this nugget of news.

It appears that MTC Holsters, LLC, (doing business as CrossBreed Holsters, LLC) has begun the process of going after other holster manufacturers for certain patent infringements. It’s important to note that CrossBreed was recently granted the following patent this year;

Concealable handgun holster with deceptive attachment clip (link to patent info)

The abstract of the filed patent is as follows:

A concealable handgun holster is disclosed with a handgun encasement supported within clothing of a wearer by one or more attachment clips, the attachment clips being hidden “in plain sight” by decorative features that deceive an observer into thinking the clips are decorations rather than part of a holster. In preferred embodiments, the holster is a hybrid holster with a handgun encasement formed by a leather sheet attached to a rigid plastic cover, preferably made of Kydex.RTM.. The clips can be plastic or metal, preferably steel, and can be attached to the encasement by rivets, screws, or any other suitable fastening means known in the art. Decoration of the attachment clips can be by shaping of the clips, perforation of the clips with decorative shapes, engraving on the clips, printing on the clips, and/or attachment of decorative items to the clips.

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So, what does all of this mean? Well, we aren’t quite sure, and it’s something that will likely go on for some time.

What we do know, however, is that Tedder Industries, LLC (doing business as Alien Gear Holsters) has filed suit against the claim.

Here is a portion of the court filing (view PDF version of complaint here):

B. THE DEFENDANT HAS IMPROPERLY ASSERTED THAT THE ALIEN GEAR HOLSTERS INFRINGE UPON THE DEFENDANT’S RIGHTS UNDER THE 201 PATENT.

3.13 On or about October 9, 2014, the Defendant sent the Plaintiff letters purporting that the Alien Gear Holsters infringe upon Defendant’s rights under the 201 Patent. The demand letters are attached hereto.

3.14 The 201 Patent, however, does not protect the underlying utility of the hybrid holster, nor could the 201 Patent protect the underlying utility of the Case 2:14-cv-00458-BLW Document 1

hybrid holster.

3.15 The Defendant is not the inventor of the hybrid holster, nor is the Defendant the assign of the hybrid’s holster inventor.

3.16 Tedder Industries has not infringed upon the 201 Patent

So it looks like Tedder Industries is firing back. We’ll have to sit back and see how things play out. It seems though, that if CrossBreed wins, they will be a hybrid holster monopoly. We doubt that Tedder Industries is the only one that’s heard from CrossBreed, so others are sure to come out of the woodwork in the coming days, weeks and months.