We received a message Friday about a new line of tactical at gear at Walmart. The SOG line appears to be from SOG Specialty Knives & Tools but they aren’t available through their website, only through Walmart. Although there are numerous clones in the line, we decided to concentrate on the SOG Squadron Pack which bears a striking resemblance to the 5.11 Tactical Rush 24 backpack.
Essentially, both are about the same size and serve the same purpose as backpacks but we don’t believe that the 5.11 Tactical product is patented. Instead, we see something amiss that is going to start showing up a lot; Trade Dress. For those unfamiliar with the term, it’s a form of intellectual property. Trade dress is a legal term of art that generally refers to characteristics of the visual appearance of a product or its packaging that signify the source of the product to consumers.
As you can see, aside from the overall look of the packs, there are several features in particular that are the same. What remains to be seen is if 5.11 Tactical has noticed (we are pretty sure they will after this story) and what, if anything they might do about it.
