[clemmy]

First of all let me congratulate you on the noteriety and success you've had, well earned, and your fabulous paint jobs!

Idea:On your create a custom scheme page, it's really cool, but does not do your paint jobs justice! I thought maybe you could do an example page of a pattern selected and then an actual picture of how the lure turned out. Similarly, you could post a pic page of how some customer's custom creations came out (with their permission of course). Lastly, I right clicked and saw each of those colors are actually .gif files. Couldn't you paint your "stock" colors (like, say red over foil) on something flat like part of a paint stick, take a dig picture, and replace it for those gif files? that way, you could actually see what your red foil back over chartruese body would look like, rather than computer red over computer chartruesish...Basically i'm saying since their "pics" anyway might as well put in "your" pics. It might take up too much space, but I bet it would increase orders.

Question: Is there anyway to protect your painting ideas? I know your table rock is widely copied, have you learned of any protection since. I think I have an idea, in theory, would be unique to finishes. An example case that is unrelated is all the gloss black lures out there....if you choose black as a color, the reeason is usually due to contrast as if does not reflect light, but rather absorbs it. So why put a glossy topcoat on a black lure, effectively making it reflect alot more light? My idea is not this one, and I'm sure others have done the flat black thing, but say no-one had thought of it...would there be a way to protect your "table rock" color or a flat black paint job? I'm doubtful, but it doesn't hurt to ask...


Thanks again to all for their help, knowledge and experience, and thanx for this board!

[clemmy]

Ooops, forgot to say, I came up with a couple of possibilities: design patent, but I'm not familar with patents so I don't know if this could be extended, and trademarks. Trademarks seem strange, but say Hughsey had trademarked his table rock design..theorhetically, he could argue that a fishing lure colored chartruese with a flo. purple back was a company trademark. Other companies could manufacture this color scheme, but in theory, putting a picture of their version in a catalog or web site for sale would be a violation...they could produce, but not market.

as I said I'm not sure this would work, but I bet if you marketed a shoe with a swoosh symbol you'd be getting a cease and desist letter from nike's attourney's pretty quick...

[boatnik13]

I DON'T THINK YOU CAN PATENT A COLOR! . COLOR is a pattern or a arangement, not a design. Look at the lures that are "TRADEMARKED" or "PATENT" , you can get around them with simple modification.Most Mfc. just protect the NAME.

[Hughesy]

clemmy
First of all let me thank you for the nice compliments. As far as my "create your own colors page", I did try using my own colors but they didn't look right because of places like where the back color faded into the side of the baits looked real funky, the color of the paint behind the scale pattern would show up and many other issues I came across. It was a real pain. I just put that page on there for the fun of it. I doubt if anyone uses it to really design colors all though I have received many orders with the little pictures as a sample. I might change it around if I every get time to play around with it. As far as it increasing my orders, its killing me the way it is now. We are running about 5 to 6 weeks on deliveries of orders as we speak with no end in sight. On patenting colors schemes, I don't think its possible because you could add 2 drops of white to any color and barely change the color but I'm sure in a court of law it would be considered a new color even though it matches your to a T. If you notice that most of the Big Boys that copy my stuff do not get the colors right. Lucky Crafts Table Rock Shad is a real faded chartreuse and almost a flat purple, Normans Sour Grape has purple flake and the they to can't get the right purple and chartreuse. The same with Pradco's Mark Menendez line. All of those colors are a copies of mine but they just can't get the colors tint right. Plus the quality of their work could use some help. Thanks again clemmy for the great ideas but I'm just gonna stay right where I'm at and just keep on shootin that paint.

[COLOR ME FISHIN]

I agreee with Tim....I have copied some of his color schemes, but have added my little "twists " to them. That is why it is called "custom painting". My friends/buyers whatever you want to call them, want certain things done their way. Maybe less orange on the belly, maybe redder orange or whatever. That is the niche we fill. We can provide that to our customers and is why they keep coming back....we hope! I learned to keep a log of my recipes so I can duplicate a certain scheme to a tee if I have to. A shade off on green or whatever and the fisherman is not happy and loses confidence with your paint work.

[COLOR ME FISHIN]

Here is my version of Lucky Crafts Table Rock Shad-very tough to duplicate-washed out colors-like Tim Hughes was talking about earlier. I made mine a little more brilliant trying to keep the same hues as the original color. Customer bought these in a different color he didn't care for and wanted them that silly color-guess he "tricks em" with that color somewhere.

[the-bass-catcher]

I also keep an electronic log of which colors I use on each different bait I paint. I use micro. Access. I create different colomns for base color, back color, shoulder color, belly color, throat color, shad spot, etc etc etc. It is much easier to reproduce a lure this way, and if you mix colors, take special care to measure and document your mixing!

[COLOR ME FISHIN]

Good idea ...........in reference to Tims comments about the big boys trying to duplicate his colors and can't...that's because they dont see colors the way Tim Hughes does and they can't afford to put the time and effort into the baits like we do. That's why the people come to us for something different, something better. I tell my customers that I can take anyones color scheme and make it better. I'm sure someone could take mine and make it even more better. That is custom painting!