BINGEN, Wash. — A company in the Columbia River Gorge that spent months fighting Chinese crooks who knocked off its product is winning.
Orange Screw in Bingen, Washington, makes a rugged plastic screw used to anchor tents and tarps to keep them from blowing away
It's wildly popular—nearing $1 million in sales a year.
Company founder Kirby Erdely said crooks stole pictures of his product from the company website, made knock off screws in China and sold them online.
Erdely has a patent—so he sued. And he won.
Erdely said he has a temporary court injunction against 85 different sellers. It froze their PayPal accounts and those companies are now negotiating with Orange Screw lawyers to reach a settlement.
“It’s a feeling of relief,” said Erdely.
At one point he worried the counterfeits would destroy his company.
“I am thankful to be connected with a law firm and able to get results quickly,” he said. The Ference law firm is representing Orange Screw.
Erdely said since the counterfeiters were blocked, his company has had a dramatic increase in sales.