Copyright, parts re-use and a proposal?

[carl reid]

Actually I have read a number of posts in the past with people stating they ARE against copying parts for personal use. I'm not one of those, but there are some.Never say never.

I think the key word is personal use. I don't have a problem folks using anything of mine. As long as it's for personal use. It only becomes an issue whenthey start selling it...!

We can never stop this happening, it's totally impossible to Police.

 

[carl reid]

I have to disagree in some way Carl, I respect what you are saying but I believe licensing can work and work in a simple and effective manner.

If I make a weapon and sell it I am not naive enough to think that it is never going to be copied by someone purchasing it, for someone making a spare one for personal use is not such major deal but for someone making multiple copies to use for their own commercial figures damages sales.

I know that to sit done and make an accurate and scale weapon from scratch can take me as much time as sculpting a full figure, there has been plenty of times I had wished I had that weapon in stock to save the time and I am sure there are many sculptors who have been tempted to use a kit part from someone else to save time or because they dont posses the skill to produce their own weapon.
To offer licence means that a sculptor can use that part free from any come back that he made a great figure but used pirate parts for weapons and damage his reputation. With a licence system its out in the open with no come backs and the sculptor is able to produce two kits instead of one because of time saved making weapons.

I also find that on many occasions you require the weapon to actually pose the initial mannequin so work on the figure cannot begin until you have the weapon, to have one ready at hand makes the sculpting far easier.


All the best

Steve

It works on paper Steve.

Do you pay a one off fee? Or royalties? Can you only use it once? What happens if someone approaches you to use the weapon? What happens if the original sculptor/engineer stops sculpting and disappears for various reasons. Who then own the rights. What happens if someone uses your version of the weapon, do you take legal action or the original pattern maker. These are all grey areas that will cause so many problems.

Then there is the trust issue, This can and will pose a problem for someone in the future under this system.

It's a very complicated minefield littered with pit falls and vague promises.

Who will Police this?

Carl

 

[gordy]

All we can hope for is there is more ethical folks out there than none ethical.

Carl

Sad but true

It works on paper Steve.

Do you pay a one off fee? Or royalties? Can you only use it once? What happens if someone approaches you to use the weapon? What happens if the original sculptor/engineer stops sculpting and disappears for various reasons. Who then own the rights. What happens if someone uses your version of the weapon, do you take legal action or the original pattern maker. These are all grey areas that will cause so many problems.

Then there is the trust issue, This can and will pose a problem for someone in the future under this system.

It's a very complicated minefield littered with pit falls and vague promises.

Who will Police this?

Carl

Good questions Carl, and I would fully agree that open license system would be nearly impossible to adopt for established producers. An enterprising individual could introduce, into the market circulation, a batch of parts that are open license. Tracking the part would be another contention as you mention with policing.

Certainly easier on paper than execution.

Another example, I'm working on a 1/32 musket for a current project, right now I have a barrel and the wooden stock all formed but over sized. I intend to have a local caster make me a bunch of blanks so that I can cut it down reshape it for future projects with out much fuss, a 'blank' such as this would be very convenient, not only for myself, but others. If I were to give this blank away to various producers world wide with the condition that it's free to copy, is there a way to do so ?

 

[1969]

Do you pay a one off fee? Or royalties? Can you only use it once? What happens if someone approaches you to use the weapon? What happens if the original sculptor/engineer stops sculpting and disappears for various reasons. Who then own the rights. What happens if someone uses your version of the weapon, do you take legal action or the original pattern maker. These are all grey areas that will cause so many problems.

Then there is the trust issue, This can and will pose a problem for someone in the future under this system.

It's a very complicated minefield littered with pit falls and vague promises.

Who will Police this?

Carl

Hi Carl,

I propose to charge a one-off fee for each individual weapon which will allow for that company to produce unlimited copies so long as they do not re sell the weapon as a single item ,it must be used as part of a figure kit.

I will remain the main pattern maker and retain rights over the masters and I may commission someone else to also make masters which I will hold rights to.

I intend for the main business to be supplying resin models to modellers who wish to make conversions or their own figures without the allowance of recasting the weapon. Offering the weapons on licence to other sculptors/companies is just another avenue which can benefit others who choose to take up the offer, its all about choice, I am just offering a service that i believe is needed.

As for trust well its business and business operates on a trust basis and trust is something that is un-police able, you have to trust someone every time you sell a figure that they do not recast it so there is no difference there really.

All the best mate





GORDY... I like your idea of blank weapon parts, nice idea.


Steve

 

[ausf]

The only way I could see this working is for someone to step up and make sets. Weapons, helmets, gear of any sort, any scale. Offer it for sale like any other set for whatever the market will bare but then offer it to artists too for use.

If I was sculpting professionally and it would save me 8 hours of work, then I would gladly spend $50, 75 even $100 on a perfectly sculpted weapon that I could use on a master for production. It's a no brainer.

Thing is, how many pro sculptors are there and will need that particular weapon in that particular scale. It doesn't seem cost effective unless the set was made for both purposes, commercial and professional.

At the same token, why couldn't I just email Mike and say, 'Hey, I'll give you a $100 for a copy and use of that K98 you made for the motorcycle rider'? Maybe he'd say 'Sure, a copy and use for one figure that is not a motorcycle driver for $100 and $25 for each use after that.

 

[ausf]

Okay, simultaneous posts.

That's exactly what I was hoping for Steve, best of luck and I'll be first in line.

 

[1969]

thankyou Jeff

Steve

 

[garyjd]

I think weapons in the following scales would cover what most folks are doing. Since these are "scale" weapons I do not know how they would look next to their MM cousins, i.e. 54mm etc etc.

1/35, 1/32, 1/24, 1/16

I think to license a weapon on a per figure project is a sound way to go. ~Gary

 

[carl reid]

Hi Carl,

I propose to charge a one-off fee for each individual weapon which will allow for that company to produce unlimited copies so long as they do not re sell the weapon as a single item ,it must be used as part of a figure kit.

I will remain the main pattern maker and retain rights over the masters and I may commission someone else to also make masters which I will hold rights to.

I intend for the main business to be supplying resin models to modellers who wish to make conversions or their own figures without the allowance of recasting the weapon. Offering the weapons on licence to other sculptors/companies is just another avenue which can benefit others who choose to take up the offer, its all about choice, I am just offering a service that i believe is needed.

As for trust well its business and business operates on a trust basis and trust is something that is un-police able, you have to trust someone every time you sell a figure that they do not recast it so there is no difference there really.

All the best mate





GORDY... I like your idea of blank weapon parts, nice idea.


Steve

Hi Steve,

I really hope it works out mate, but I would think about it seriously before embarking on the journey! It seems very difficult to control to me.

If you want to see the pit falls in this venture take a look at Roger Saunders and the Hornet heads, and the problems he has had with people using them as a patterns etc.

If you are selling these to modellers and sculptors alike, the unethical can just wait for you produce them then make recasts. At least with a head it can be identified. A weapon can't.

Anyway mate I hope it works out!!!

Carl

 

[John Long]

I've made weapons for a few companies. I sell the work and right to copy to the buyer. What the buyer does with it is up to them. If they decide to give it away, I don't really have recourse. Conversely, I've used mannequins made by one manufacturer to create a figure for another manufacturer. I did so with permission of the owner of the mannequin rights. There was nothing in writing, it was just a gentleman's agreement. I asked and was given permission. If it had been denied, I would have proceeded down another path.