Equipment - Medium Format

Exakta 66 - seventeen years old?

I know the Exakta 66 was introduced in the 1980s. My question is this:
is the camera now over seventeen years old and wouldn't that mean that
any patents applying to the Exakta 66 would now be expired? My question
primarily relates to the Schneider-only linkage from the lens to the
prism which is absent in all CZJ and Arsat lenses but could also relate
to other Exakta 66 improvements. Couldn't Arsenal, in typical "Soviet
era" fashion blatently copy this system (but now legally)?
Thanks

 
 

See Also : Re: Contax 645 discontinued??

David J. Littleboy wrote:

>
> "Jeremy" wrote:
>> "David J. Littleboy" wrote:
>> >
>> > It looks to me that the new Zeiss-Ikon rangefinder is a remounting of
> the
>> > Contax G lenses, which is what lots of people have been praying for for
>> > years.
>>
>> According to their web site, Zeiss is designing these new lenses from
>> scratch. At least, that is the impression they seem to want to convey.
>
> Could be. I was struck by the point that only one lens at one f stop is
> even slightly less than the sharpest lens at that f stop they had ever
> seen: the 35/2.0 at f/2.0. (Hmm, the charts on the site below have the
> 35/2.0 being better than the 50/2.0.)

Sonnar 50mm/2 = Jupiter-8, and Sonnar 85mm/2 = Jupiter-9. But of course they
may have updated the designs somewhat...

>> I read somewhere that the timing has something to do with the fact that
> the
>> patent on the M-mount has just expired . . .
>
> Ah. Sounds likely.

Can't be. The original M-mount appeared already half a century ago, and
patents expire in 20 years. Did they add something interesting in the
eighties, e.g. the exposure meter?

-- Lassi