In 1991, high voltage maker Greg Leyh of Lightning On Demand (LOD) and Survival Research Laboratories built a 110,000 volt "Taser Cannon." Outfitted with 30 barrels and pneumatic tilt and pan, the Taser Cannon "delivers" a high-current plasma channel to targets 35 feet away. A few weeks ago, TASER International sent Greg a cease and desist letter. While the Taser Cannon came first, Greg has acknowledged that TASER International now owns the trademark, and renamed his device a "Lorentz Gun." (Its operation is based on a a physics principle called a Lorentz force.) Greg posted TASER's C&D and a comment on the matter:
Frankly, it's difficult to imagine how any 'consumer confusion' would result (customer accidentally buys a 4000 pound Marx Bank instead of a hand-held stun gun) or unfair competition since the Lorentz Gun is not for sale. It's more probable that the offended party simply did not comprehend the description of the Lorentz Gun.
'Lorentz Gun' is actually a more accurate description for the LOD 110kV system, which delivers 1000's of times more power than the devices offered by the manufacturer issuing the legal threat…
Link to the Taser Cannon Lorentz Gun project page, Link to TASER International's C&D (Thanks, Karen Marcelo and Eric Paulos!)
