ABC IP and Rare Breed Sue Upstate Triggers and Four Retailers Over Forced-Reset Patents and FRT Marks.

The complaint

ABC IP, LLC, Rare Breed Triggers, Inc., and RBTM LLC v. Upstate Triggers LLC, Jackson Rolison, Cherokee Outfitters, Inc., City Arsenal Inc., CLB Guns LLC, and Gun Runners LLC, No. 6:26-cv-03955-DCC (D.S.C., Greenville Division), is a sixty-nine-page complaint for patent and trademark infringement filed September 8, 2026, ECF No. 1, with a jury demand. The complaint alleges, on information and belief, that Upstate Triggers LLC is a South Carolina limited liability company, that the individual defendant is its owner or an owner and directs its operations, and that Upstate Triggers makes and sells the accused device to the four retailer defendants.

Patents and accused product

The complaint asserts U.S. Patents 12,038,247, 12,031,784, 12,578,159, and 12,636,403, alleging that ABC IP owns them by assignment and that Rare Breed is the exclusive licensee. The charted claims are claim 15 of the '247 patent, claim 1 of the '784 and '159 patents, and claims 38 and 54 of the '403 patent. The accused product is the Drop In FRD, which the complaint alleges, on information and belief, Upstate Triggers sells through the upstatetriggers.us website, and which it alleges can switch between standard semiautomatic and forced reset semiautomatic modes.

What the patents cover

Claim 15 of the '247 patent covers a firearm trigger mechanism with a hammer that has a sear catch and a hook for engaging a disconnector, a trigger member with a sear, the disconnector, and a cam with a cam lobe movable between a first and a second position, all mounted in the receiver's fire control mechanism pocket. With the cam in the first position the mechanism runs in a standard semi-automatic mode, in which the disconnector catches the hammer and the user must release the trigger to free it. With the cam in the second position the cam lobe forces the trigger member toward its set position and the disconnector is prevented from catching the hammer, so the user can pull the trigger again once the bolt carrier returns to battery, a forced reset semi-automatic mode.

Trademark counts and relief

The complaint adds federal trademark infringement under 15 U.S.C. 1114, false designation of origin under 15 U.S.C. 1125(a), and common law trademark infringement and unfair competition, alleging that RBTM owns the FRT Marks, that Rare Breed is the exclusive licensee, and that the defendants advertise their products as FRT on the Upstate Triggers website. The prayer asks for preliminary and permanent injunctions against patent infringement and use of FRT-formative terms, damages with enhancement, trademark remedies, and attorneys' fees.

What to watch next

Two summonses were returned executed on October 27, 2026 (ECF Nos. 8 and 9). Watch for the defendants' responses and for any notice tying this case to MDL No. 3176 in the Eastern District of Texas.