THE Sharkfin spinning reel is now fully patented in China! The move gives the long-casting reel almost global coverage against copiers and will allow its distributor in the US, Castalia Outdoors, to clamp down on copyright infringers.
The news is very timely for US distributor Castalia Outdoors, which has recently put its Sharkfin reels through some very arduous testing.
Last year it was incorrectly stated that the Sharkfin was patent pending. The reel is actually fully patented in Europe, the USA, Japan, China, Australia and New Zealand.
Michael Richards, president of Castalia Outdoors, said: "The Sharkfin has international and US patents. First filed in 2004 and issued in 2005, this original reel design was developed and tested years prior to the filing of the patent by Guenther Burk, a meticulous German angler, inventor and businessman.
"Guenther has led his companies through tremendous success so it's no wonder the Sharkfin reel has resulted in sales from January to July 2009 of more than 65,000 units throughout Europe.
"Since there has been some question regarding the original design and patent compared to similar reels that have debuted recently, we have made all information on our patents available on our website: http://www.castaliaoutdoors.com/patents."
Sharkfin - Explained
The Sharkfin spinning reel is designed to cast further and eliminate tangles or 'bird's-nests' that are often encountered with spinning reels. The design greatly reduces friction on the line during the cast, allowing the angler to cast further and providing greater accuracy and less line stress. The 'fins' also retain the dreaded line loops that cause tangles on traditional spinning reels, and freely releases them on the next cast. The Sharkfin is used like any standard spool, it's braid-friendly and works with all reel-recommended line diameters.
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