Diablo Paintball

Diablo Paintball was a paintball equipment and ammunition brand associated with Procaps and National Paintball Supply. It became prominent in the late 1990s through Procaps-manufactured paintballs, including Blaze, Inferno, Hellfire and Brand X, and was subsequently used for paintball markers and other equipment distributed by National Paintball Supply.[1][2]

The Diablo name was the subject of a trademark dispute between the two companies. A commercial agreement reached in 2002 transferred control of the name to National Paintball Supply, while Procaps introduced Draxxus as a separate ammunition brand.[3][4]

History

Early use of the Diablo name

National Paintball Supply used the Diablo name for paintball equipment before the establishment of Procaps.

Contemporary reports identify an earlier Diablo-branded pump marker distributed by National Paintball Supply.

The company subsequently asserted prior rights to the name during a trademark dispute with Procaps.[3][5]

Procaps ammunition (1998–2002)

Procaps, established in Canada by Richmond Italia in 1998, introduced a range of paintballs under the Diablo brand.

The original ranges included:

Blaze
Inferno
Hellfire
Brand X

These products were marketed at different price and quality levels.

According to contemporary reporting by WARPIG, Diablo paintballs began appearing at American tournaments during the spring of 1998.[1]

Diablo Direct

On 4 January 1999, Diablo Direct LLC announced a distribution partnership involving Procaps and several established American paintball distributors.

The organisation was intended to distribute Procaps-manufactured paintballs to retailers, commercial fields and other customers through regional warehouses.

The participating businesses included distributors led by Craig Miller, Ed Poorman, Dan Bonebrake and other industry figures.

The arrangement connected Procaps' manufacturing operations with an established North American wholesale network.[1]

Trademark dispute and distribution agreement (2002)

A trademark dispute arose between Procaps and National Paintball Supply concerning their respective uses of the Diablo name.

National Paintball Supply argued that it had used the name earlier for paintball markers and related equipment.

The dispute was formally recorded in proceedings before the United States Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.[5]

At the 2002 Mardi Gras Open, representatives of Procaps, Diablo Direct and National Paintball Supply announced that they were negotiating a commercial settlement.

Contemporary WARPIG coverage identified Richmond Italia of Procaps and Gino Postorivo of National Paintball Supply as participants in the discussions.[3]

On 29 April 2002, the companies announced a distribution agreement.

Under the arrangement, National Paintball Supply obtained control of the Diablo name and became the exclusive distributor of Procaps-manufactured Draxxus paintballs and VForce protective equipment.

Procaps subsequently marketed its ammunition under the Draxxus name rather than Diablo.[4]

Diablo paintball markers

National Paintball Supply also marketed paintball markers under the Diablo name.

Documented models included the Sabotage, Wrath and related electronic markers.

The Diablo Sabotage was a semiautomatic blowback marker sold around the turn of the century.

The Diablo Wrath was an electronic marker using a forward-air, spring-return operating mechanism.

A surviving Wrath instruction manual, dated 2005, identifies Diablo Paintball as a registered trademark of National Paintball Supply and states that Diablo products were distributed exclusively through that company.[6]

The Diablo name was also used for additional marker models, including the Slayer.

Products

Paintballs

The principal early Diablo paintball ranges manufactured by Procaps included Blaze, Inferno, Hellfire and Brand X.[1]

Following the 2002 commercial agreement, Procaps' corresponding ammunition products were marketed under the Draxxus name.[4]

Paintball markers

Documented Diablo-branded markers included:

Model	Description
Sabotage	Semiautomatic blowback marker
Wrath	Electronic marker using a forward-air, spring-return mechanism
Slayer	Electronic paintball marker

Historical examples are documented in surviving equipment collections and manufacturer's instruction manuals.[6][7]

Relationship with Procaps and Draxxus

The Diablo and Draxxus brands were closely connected through Procaps and National Paintball Supply.

Before 2002, Procaps manufactured paintballs sold under the Diablo name.

Following the 2002 agreement, National Paintball Supply controlled the Diablo brand while distributing Procaps-manufactured ammunition under the newly introduced Draxxus name.

The distinction is important when identifying historical paintball products, as the Diablo and Draxxus names were associated with different commercial arrangements during different periods.[3][4]

References

External links