It raises many questions in my mind. How could Penn compete with a company like Pflueger? Pflueger had many years in the reel manufacturing business, it had to be a much wealthier company, that could afford more expensive lawyers than Penn. The patent Pflueger accuses Penn of infringinging on pre-dates Penn's patents yet we now know that the reel in question (Model K w/ star drag) became the Penn Long Beach and had a very long successful production run.
Lets have a look at the patent that Pflueger claims Penn stole...
When I see the Pflueger Patent, the date tells me that Pflueger patented these designs in April, 1932, while the earliest Penn patent I have ever seen dates to July, 1932. Looking at page two, figure 8 of the Pflueger patent shows me a drag assembly that looks exactly like a Penn Model K or Long Beach drag assembly. It looks to me that Pflueger is right in their accusations.
Now Penn did not ignore Pflueger, they responded directly to the letter of accusation from Pflueger with another letter. Check it out:
Penn asked for a meeting with a Pflueger executive. I wonder what happened at that meeting. Obviously the manufacture of the Longbeach was not ended, as Pflueger wanted. I suspect a deal was made. Even though Pflueger is claiming a infringement on the drag assembly, I believe the Penn Seaford was a larger infringement of Pflueger design than the drag assembly claim that Pflueger states in their letter. I feel that way because if you look at the Seaford that was made in 1933 it has a pivoting bridge to disengage the spool for free spool operation just like a Pflueger reel. Compare all Seaford's made after 1934 and you will see a complete design change of that model.
So what do you all feel about this?. Did Penn steal ideas and make deals with Pflueger to avoid the courts ? If you make comparisons with other manufactures of the era there are many similarities in each others products. Ocean City had take apart Salt Water Conventional reels years before Penn's Silver Beach reels, was there another patent infringement with that feature?
I wonder what kind of can of worms we can open up if we start looking for who stole what idea from who
jump usa , folks, there was never a true pat. infringment, what happened is that there are just so many mfgs of componet parts, ie. gears, screws, bridge plates, etc. Pfluger had one of and acess to a gear hobber in the country in Canton Ohio, this factory would build any gear to your specs or you could pull from their in stock items! Example is Ocean City and Von Hoff and Penn, I was once called on the old ORCA site a N-rigger as I stated I used parts that fit and or worked! and I still do! there are a lot of Penns out there with Pfluger gears in them, and a lot of Shakesperes with South Bend or Bronson parts in them! One thing we need to remeber, untill reels were made off shore of the USA, companies in this country had to work together! the actual changes on reels was more cosmetic than mechanical! Harvy and I sat at the same table in Lansing michigan nats a few years ago and heard the Grandson of Shakespere company tell how he worked on the screw machines and at one time shakespere had the largest amount of screw machines in the country, up to the 3/8ths size, Herkemer in New york also made Screws and nuts,and some washers up to 1/2 in in sae or uss thread size, Lake Erie cap in Cleveland Ohio went from 1/4in to 3/4 in rolled threads in uss or sae and 2in cut thread cap screws, Western automatic in Elyria Ohio went from 1/8th thru 7/8 in uss or sae, this is what my mother in law told me as she worked there from 1931 thru 1943 she was on the 1/2 in line machines! If anyone belives that any company after 1917 could make it selling fishing reels? its not likly , they had to make or buy their expedables from their competitors! mass perduction called for these megers! After world War 11 , the Shakespere company went to blow injection of screws and nuts, thus the advent of flat top threads became the method, and a flat top thread will fit a sharp V female thread however a sharp V thread wont fit the new flat top threads, I sent Harvy a copy of that Shakesper put out in their manual, thats now in the ORCA library! ( to keep it simple, management of all companies had profit making meetings to see how they could stay in business. A example in todays market a Shimano handle will fit 5 different mfgs reels that I am aware of, the highest cost handle is from Shiamano, the least cost is frome Daiawa, and it will fit ZEBCO items , Daiwa, Shimano, Pfluger etc! It is my personal thoughts that these infrigment suits were a publicity game to get the names of these companies into the publics eye and ear, Thus more reels were sold! Your ohio conection On Lake Erie, Col. Milton lorens aka SWIM JIG 
