Our configuration trademark Road Runner
One of my many jobs includes protecting our intellectual property. That means monitoring the on-line auction sites and fishing forums. This also entails walking the aisles of tackle shops, looking for knock-offs.
We are nice at first. The response is usually apologetic and the offenders are often not aware they are breaking the law. Unfortunately, there are those that get ugly about it. Most often, these offenders did not pay federal excise taxes either. Then things get very messy.
Reselling counterfeit products is against the law too. The tackle dealers that carry counterfeit Road Runners are shocked when the local deputy walks in the door. It suddenly becomes a priority to send us the inventory for destruction.
Many anglers think they are getting a “deal” when they purchase counterfeits. You usually get what you pay for though. They may include; over tempered hooks, a steel blade instead of brass and a cheap swivel instead of a stronger, crane swivel.
“But I can’t get them tied with squirrel tail” is not an excuse. We encourage customizing Road Runners. That is one reason we make Road Runner heads available in bulk packaging.
It breaks my heart to see someone steal from us. Stealing intellectual property is a crime. Buyer, beware. Blessings, -TJ
Road Runner lures are protected under the Configuration Trademark #1577913. (The Coke® bottle shape is a configuration trademark for example.) “Road Runner” is a registered trademark of TTI-Blakemore Fishing Group.
TJ Stallings' Fishing Blog 
I find it kind of ironic that you are protecting your “intellectual property” when it was Ted Green at MarLynn Lures who invented and produced the first “horsehead” type lure. They were called the Crazy Horse. He sold them under private label to Herter’s and they were in their 1968 catalog as Herter’s Lead Horsehead Jig with Flutter Spin.
Mr. King,
Burt Hall invented the Road Runner many years earlier. Burt’s son Joe was awarded the configuration trademark; not so much because they were first, but because of the millions of dollars his family spent to promote the original Road Runner. Even the counterfeiters call them “Road Runners” or “Road Runner type” lures. Several companies have contested the configuration trademark and lost. I apologize for not explaining this better in my blog. -TJ
How was it the “stump jumpers” that were sold by Bass Pro were considered against this trademark?
Luke, great question. The road runner style, stump jumpers were made by us and under our license. Nowadays, the stumpjumper is a different configuration.
I have been a longtime user of Blakemore Roadrunners… the white marabou is particularly productive in the smaller waters in Texas as well as larger ones. But I have to say, I am fishing more and more with Beetle spins because I can get those for 79 cents as opposed to a dollar fifty and that is only one place I find them that cheap. If you aren’t losing a few to cover then you just aren’t fishing… something to consider. I tie my own flies too, last I checked… died marabou is not an endangered species. If I could get bulk roadrunners at some kind of discount price then there would be nothing to consider but in today’s economy, a horsehead spinner/jig at $2 at most places is going to stay on the rack when I am restocking. If you guys have “killed” all the counterfeiters, why can’t you bring the price down so we can still afford to fish with your product? Or is enforcing counterfeiters costing you so much that you have to raise prices? I bought genuine roadrunners because they were flat out better made products. Well, end of rant… there are other lures in my tackle boxes.
We appreciate your support. Keeping our costs down is a constant battle. What you are paying for in a Road Runner versus the other baits are:
Hand-tied marabou, (That certainly costs more than to slide on a beetle body.)
brass swivel, (these have to be positioned in the mold before the run)
double-painted eyes, (more labor) and a chromed brass blade (not steel). The unseen advantage in price is the specially tempered hook. This tempering allows you to pull the hook at an angle when hung, so you can get your Road Runner back. I hung a Road Runner eleven times last Saturday, I bent the hook back in shape and cast right back into the cover each time. It doesn’t always work but it works a lot.
Another advantage that is unseen is the Gill-Flash phenonmenon. As fish feed they flare their gills. As with any muscle, the movement forces more blood through those gills, a feeding signal to other fish. Fish’s eyes are on top of their heads, therefore they look UP. That’s why the Road Runner’s superior blade position out-fishes ordinary jigs.
An option available to you is our bulk head boxes. You’ll find these at the catalog stores for about $10.00. From there, you can either rig your own plastics or custom tie your own feathers. This will save you money and allow you to really trick out your Road Runner for your waters. Good fishing, -TJ
I cannot argue with the quality of your products. Stump Jumpers are absolutely poor from the standpoint of survivability and I do purchase your bulk jigheads… you have to admit though, there are times when nothing will do but the maribou. Your chenille process is superior too. I guess I will just have to appreciate that everyone has to make a profit and shutup.
Don’t “shutup” please. My blog is for you as much as me. We love to hear from our anglers! Good fishing, -TJ
why did you quit making the Rock N Runner it is a fish catching lure the work better than any spinner bait on the market the straight roadrunner can not hold a candle to it and the chatter bait works but I will catch bass 3to1 on the RockNRunner
Sorry Bill. Another mfg. got a patent on that blade. The Rollin’ Runner with a BanG Shad body has been more successful for me. in four trips I’ve boated a 16-pound, five fish limit on spots, one 7-pound largemouth and two crappie over 3-pounds. (Catching crappie on a baitcaster is weird.) e-mail me your address and I’ll send one to try. tj@tticompanies.com.
im willing to try something if you think it is a better lure Bill Stearns
10-4. You’ll have to snag some four-inch swimbaits. It’s hard to beat the BanG Die Dapper. Good fishing, tj
Have followed a lot of posts regarding RR jig and got a kick out of you bragging about the double painted eyes. At first I was thinking you were bragging about double painting the hook eyes as almost every RR I own needed eye cleaning and a simple “eye popper” is not usually up to the task.
I’m with you there. It’s a fine line between a great finish and too much of it. We now pay to have the hook eyes and the swivels covered during the finish process.
I have never heard of counterfeit roadrunner s. Roadrunners are one of my all time favorite lures.
Do the countfeits actually come in fake blakemore packageing? Dobu have any pictures for comparison?
Thanks
Great question! Sorry for the slow reply. We have seized some counterfeits that had “Road Runner” on the package. However, we find more on Ebay and small tackle shops that were made locally. Most have poor packaging and quality. Thanks for being a fan of the real, Road Runner. 🙂