Let me say in advance that this is NOT intended towards anybody in particular or even intended to be harsh BUT it will read harsh as some writing does :)
I am going to try and put this driver thing to rest once and for all. For those that know and understand intellectual property, please do not debate it here. For those that do not I will make it as simple as possible.
- Trademark - A method of identification. No two unrelated entities can share the same trademark.
- Copyright - The exclusive right of a creator to control production and use of works commercially for profit (usually refers to art and music)
- Fair Use - Originally meant for news and education but extended to personal use and can side-step copyright
When I saw what Wight did I thought it would be cool to get that driver in a tube light - specifically this A6. Because there was COMMERCIAL production and PROFIT involved I asked for permission, and permission for this driver to be manufactured and installed in this A6 ONLY. I did not ask for permission to have the driver itself commercially manufactured for stand-alone sale and I would not either.
At that time the only entity that was going to be allowed to manufacture drivers COMMERCIALLY for PROFIT was RMM. I can understand that and respect that. First of all, Wight and RMM worked on a few things together, and secondly (and I could be wrong) Wight had a fondness of RMM (as many of here do). So why not? There is nothing wrong with that.
Wight NEVER EVER said that people could not manufacture these drivers for their own use. He did not care and would not be able to do anything about that.
Here in the US, for those of us that do not build drivers (me,me,me) we have access to DD drivers via mtnelectronics.com. A great guy who has contributed a lot to our hobby while making small money (if any) all while putting himself from school. When he's in class his wife helps get OUR stuff out, between raising their kids, running their house, and doing what the girls do. Not an easy task but it makes one hell of a difference for us. I mentioned small money because we ALL know what RMM spends on this stuff and inventory. He certainly does not get it for pennies and his SMALL PROFIT is generated through quantity discounts he receives while fronting the money to have things on hand for US. Has anybody noticed that his inventory is getting larger even though he is trying like hell to control it? That SMALL PROFIT has been going right back into inventory...FOR US. It isn't without risk either. All of a sudden "these batteries are no longer hot sh*t" or "this is the latest thrower" etc. etc.
With that said I was NOT going to have and will NOT have any part in competing with RMM for DD drivers, and possibly even leaving him holding the bag of a few hundred bucks of unused parts. Just NOT going to happen. He does not make that much profit and IS entitled to the little he does make. I will take no part in screwing a good guy in order to save a couple bucks.
Added Edit: For the Record - RMM never knew MY reason for never asking nor wanting to try and mass produce Wight's or any DD driver. I never discussed it with anyone and RMM and I have never discussed business in any shape or form. Our only contact has been orders and fixing my screw ups :)
For those not in the US, Mitko has been helping people in the Old World, as have a couple others. The drivers are available worldwide.
So with all of that said - PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE - No more talk of getting this driver mass produced separately with this GB.
FYI - To all of those that do not know or been reading Dale's posts - The latest EE samples with the EE sourced drivers are decent drivers BUT they are not the exact same driver and they can be placed in other lights. The point I am making there is that if people want Chinese DD drivers then start contacting driver manufacturers and flashlight manufacturers. If there is enough noise made they might make them.
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I can show y’all how to do that if you want. lol
