Editing Diablo Paintball (section)

== 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.