Last April, Colt filed suit in Virginia accusing Bushmaster Firearms of copying Colt's M-4 rifle.  The case has now been transfered to Maine. 

The case apparently alleges copyright and trademark infringement according to this report, "Firearms copyright lawsuit to be heard."

If the report is accurate about the claims, Colt faces interesting hurdles. 

Under US law, copyright protection is not available for useful articles unless the work includes artistic elements that are physically or conceptually separable for the article itself. 

On the trademark side, product design can only be protected if it is not functional and if ...   more »