There won't be many legal entries left if all the competators are required to produce hard documentation for every item in the control system. Most of the stuff is sold by a few well-trusted suppliers who provide neither paperwork nor packaging.
I venture to say that if one contestant that was disallowed under that "rule", he would be well within his rights to demand that all others produce documentation for their clips and gizmos.
Better to forget that business and let the pull test do it's job.
If we're about to allow 23.9 ounce stunters to fly on .008" line and Fast Combat on fish line, slider clips are the least of our troubles.
Why do you put rule in quote marks? The rule is the rule - has been since at least the early '70's - it is also quite simple to interpret. The sliding clips are not adequate for some pull tests -- the burden of proof is on the contestant -- if you bring a profile carrier plane to the circle that weighs more than 2.5 lbs, you cannot use the sliding clip type connectors. If you bring a combat plane to a match, you can.
As for the competitor demanding anything, it is not his call. If the event staff and judges are familiar with the ratings on the various devices, they are well within THEIR rights to rely on that knowledge.
I've never had to disallow any competitor in Navy Carrier because they all knew the rule. But if I had seen that type of connector I would have double-checked the required pull test and then done what the rule requires. Pull test or no pull test, as the ED or CD it's MY liability on the line.
I merely posted because there were several posts that indicated a lack of knowledge about where in the rule book certain paragraphs are located - yours included. Also, I wanted to emphasize that no connectors (other than fishing swivels) are specifically banned in any event - only that there are some circumstances where they are inadequate to meet the requirements of the "rule".