everlast vs Longevity ?

[performance]

Lets see, I have started several companies now, three of them in high tech, and in two of the three cases the Patents were a very tangible asset that made the company more valuable, and as a result more money in my pockets. In North America, is more than an "advertising gimmick" - and I am saying that from actually being there, and even using it for defending our products. I was just using patents just as an example anyways, and given the free-flow of IP in China and lack of protection for design rights, its more of a matter of which factory has the best engineers, the best industrial espionage (which is what Mark is saying), the fastest to market, and the best customers that suggest and push for features that results in the best welders. I think that is were Everlast comes in, they can take their ideas and customer feedback and feed it back to the "factory" to be incorporated into new designs that can be brought to market (which the others like Longevity does as well). Its definitely a race!

Again, Mike, you miss the point by your pontificating and are wrong on some many levels. My point was that US companies are in the East doing their own ripping and robbing...and they have similar situations to what we have. Lincoln manufactures in China, and Italy. Thermal arc is well into China as well. Miller is now admitting to "assembled" in the USA. Our situation is quite similar to theirs in how things are done...and they ALL had similar issues that we have had.