It seems that the legal department for Taser International recently discovered Google (as a verb) and decided to do what we all do at our weakest ego-fluffing (daily) moments and Google for their name — but they now appear to be engaging in a campaign to eradicate all unauthorized uses of the word ‘taser’ from the internet.
Back in 1991, SRL and one of our core, longtime members (Tesla coil genius) Greg Leyh built a device that we dubbed the ‘Taser Cannon’ (i.e. Lorentz Gun), nicknamed such because it used dart-driven seed wires to initiate a long, high-current plasma channel in the air. If you want to check the project out, the info page is here.
Some time around 1996, Taser International trademarked the word ‘taser.’ But last week they issued a legal threat to Leyh’s Lightning On Demand over the use of the word ‘taser’ on the website. Taser’s nastygram can be read here.
Leyh immediately agreed to their request, and now uses what he deems the more accurate term ‘Lorentz Gun’. Greg tells me, “They claim their customers might mistake a 4000 pound Lorentz Gun for a hand-held cracker box… who do they sell these things to, anyway?” Indeed.