Anyone make their own vibrating jigs and get a cease and desist letter? I read about it on another forum. How do other companies make vibe jigs? Do they pay chatterbait a portion of their sales?

They don’t call them chatterbaits. They call them bladed jigs and also use a different blade design since Z Man has a patent on the coffin blade. 

I highly doubt it.  And if you did I doubt it's enforceable.   Unless you're stealing a name.

 

It is enforceable. If you infringe on any patents Z Man owns, you will most likely end up with a cease and desist letter. They have sued several companies for litigation and won. It’s pretty simple though, don’t use their blade design and don’t label them with the chatterbait name and you should be in the clear. If you aren’t trying to sale them, then none of this likely matters. 

Some call them scatter baits

It’s my understanding that the patents involved with the Chatterbait cover not only the blade but also the way it’s attached to the jig. So, it’s not just a matter of having a different blade design. You’d have to come up with differences in the way it’s anchored to the jig. There’s actually an article on this site dealing with a court case they won involving the way the blade anchors to the jig. 

But even you copy everything to use for your own sake, not selling not advertising, who would know?

22 minutes ago, JustJames said:

But even you copy everything to use for your own sake, not selling not advertising, who would know?

It would only matter if you tried to profit from the sale of them. 

Yea...don't wanna be a Debbie Downer, but copyright/tradmark/patent laws don't have anything to do with whether or not you're making any money (that's only a consideration later for penalties/restitution).  If you're infringing, you're infringing.  It's black-n-white.  There's no "if only" clause.

 

If you need clarification on that, then I urge you to consult with an attorney before doing anything that could land you in hot water later.

 

It's mainly the direct connect head and the coffin blade that get folks in trouble.