This site:Yes Zipa Is Right
It Looks Like Matt's From Our Teams Design May Have Been Ripped Off. It Was His Design For His Uni Project
It's A Boltless Marker With Intergarted Hopper
Martin
#20 Volatile
http://www.paintballstar.com/pn/modules.php?op=modload&name=PagEd&file=index&topic_id=58&page_id=407#hopper-gun.jpg
Says
"Another new paintball patent has been granted by the US Patent Office. This patent issued to an Asian company basically takes the HALO and combines it with the gun itself. What's the benefit? A lower, more balanced profile. Of course, the major downside is that you have to play with a weird alien pod like paintball gun. "
and includes this pic:
http://www.paintballstar.com/pn/modules/PagEd/pictures/hopper-gun.jpg
Dated 2005, so unless your guys idea for his uni project was before then, I think the issue of copyright and a patent belongs to someone else..