[BobD]

I've split this thread and closed it for a number of reasons--mainly because we at Fox Chapel take copyrights very seriously. I'll put together a full reply as I have time, but I think there is a lot of good information in this thread that got buried beneath the lawyer jokes.


Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate a joke as much as the next person, but also saw how charged this topic got.

I'm in the process of splitting out the lawyer jokes, eliminating misleading or incorrect information, and writing a detailed response to this. I've also closed this thread. If someone wants to post something else to it, e-mail me at duncan@foxchapelpublishing.com and I'll post it.

Bob

[BobD]

OK,

Here's what we've come up with.



For detailed information, I urge you to go to www.nolopress.com

It's a website designed to bring "law" to the people.



But regardless of the law, what it comes down to is ethics. And we at Fox Chapel have spent a lot of time thinking about this issue and it comes down to whether a person would rather be ethical, or would rather "get away with something."

I'm not going to go into the legal details and ramifications of copyrights, patents, etc.



What I am going to ask if for you to ask yourself a question: If I designed this incredible pattern, would I want someone else to copy it without giving me credit?



If you are putting your heart, soul, blood, sweat and tears into a design--whether it's a carving pattern, a table design, or a painting--you deserve credit. I'm sure everyone would agree with me on that.



Now if someone takes your design, and sells it, or carves something based on it--and makes a profit, how would you feel?



I know the old adage: Copying is the sincerest form of flattery, but think about this--the person who copied you took the easy way out. They didn't put the blood, sweat, tears and work into the design--they just profited from it.



At the very least, if something like this happened to me, I'd want the person to say "Based on a design by xx."



It doesn't matter if, by the letter of the law, the person doesn't have to. It's just right to give credit where credit's due. It's up to you whether or not you "get paid" for your design--that's your final decision--but I do think that everyone would appreciate getting credit for an idea.



So technically, if you take a design, copy it, it's up in the air whether or not you get away with it. There are many variables that go into court cases like this. But even if you do, in the end, you are the one who has to live with your decision. If you take someone else’s design and use it in a public forum, they are going to know that you took it, and you are going to know that you took it.



Bob Duncan

Fox Chapel Publishing

[rick-in-seattle]

I once shared a few pictures of my carving collection with an individual who like me, collects carvings and sells carving tools.

I found out a couple days ago that person/company is now selling those pictures online.

While that probably would not be considered infringement, it does effect what I am willing to share in the future.

I had no problem with this person posting them on their website, but when they added a
"Buy This Photo" button; well, that was just wrong.

The fact that this individual/company has also taken pictures off my websites without permission and is now selling them, could very well become a problem for him.

This same person/company is also selling pictures taken off the WCI website.

[Ron D]

ouch that hurts sorry to here that rick