The appearance of windsurf

Surfing became popular in California in the 20s and spread all over the world. But this sport can only be practiced in places where the swell and the see floor meet certain conditions. Its popularity and wide diffusion permitted to several inventors to create new surfing devices based on surfboards. Some wanted create devices that would allowed them to surf other surfaces, like snow or roads. Some tried to change its propulsion means. The combination of wind propulsion and surfboard gave birth to windsurfing.

Popular science article

Windsurfing is a sport combining surfing and sailing. It emerged during the 60s. The first prototype that could be called a windsurf was made in Pennsylvania by a 20-year old man, Newman Darby in 1964. He created a sail board propelled by a hand operated square sail attached to the board by a rope. The board was being directed by the sailor with its entire body leaning the sail forward or backward. He published his design in Popular science magazine in august 1965. 

In 1964, during discussion between Drake, a californian aeronautical engineer, and his friend Payne about water sport, they came up with the idea of a wind propelled water ski that would permit Payne to cross the Potomac river. This idea was never actually developed but it stayed in Drake's mind and he discussed it several times with his friend Hoyles Schweitzer from 1965 to 1967. They had no solution to permit steering the board.

Drake remembered that during the 17^th century, the multi-mast ship used to move the upper sail forward and backward to steer the ship. He created a design to be able to do the same without moving on the board, by rotating the sail: the universal joint. He added a wishbone boom to handle the sail and this constituted the first windsurf as we know it today. Drake and Schweitzer filled in 1968 a patent application which was granted in 1970 by the USPTO (US Patent and Technology Organization). They came also came up with the name windsurfer to call the board and created a company to distribute their invention, windsurfing international.

Their invention became popular thanks to the work of Schweitzer and his wife. In 1973, Schweitzer bought Darby's shares of the patent to continue with his enterprise for 36, 000$. But he had a really hard time to keep control of his invention through the 70s. The patent he hold was not licensed in France were this sport became a huge success. Thus many windsurf board manufacturer appeared. Windsurfing international had to fight all of it in legal battle to claim their right to get paid for the license. The company also sued board distributor in the US to claim their royalties and in the end, all the sector of windsurfing distribution was against them. At the beginning, their royalty claims were supported by the patent but their first loss was in a trial against Tabur Marine. This manufacturer came up with the invention of Darby, claiming that their patent did not contain any major step compared to the previous invention. This precedent is still very important in the Patent laws as it sets the definition of major steps in legal terms.

After 3 years of legal battle, during which Schweitzer tried to save its patent right, a new element made it clear that the patent wasn't valid. In 1958, a 12 year old boy in england, Peter Chilvers, made a sailboard containing the last element claimed by the windsurfing international and its invention had been published in the local papers. With this final proof, the patent of windsurfing international was declare invalid and the construction of windsurf board became possible without licenses.

Windsurfing international continued to claim the windsurf trademark but has the name has become widely used, failed to continue pursuing the offenders. Windsurf is still now a very popular sports that can be practiced in more places than surfing. This development is principaly due to windsurfing international and their marketing strategy.