Re: [figures] Interesting development

On Sat, 30 Sep 2000 17:55:39 -0400 Allan Goodall <awg@sympatico.ca>
writes:
<snip my stuff>
>
>There's another thing that I'm not sure has been fully identified: is 
>it
>copyright infringement to copy a miniature of a real life vehicle?
>

Gut feeling only, probably not.  Are all those '55 chevy models on the
market 'licensed' from the manufacturer?  I doubt it.

>This would be a very hazy area, legally speaking. If you were to use 
>this
>technology to recreate an FSE cruiser, for instance, that's copyright
>infringement. If you were to use it to recreate an M1A1 Abrams? That's 
>going
>to be hard to fight. If the miniature is an exact replica of a tank 
>it's going
>to be hard to prove that you didn't create an exact replica of the 
>tank,
>instead of a knock off of someone else's miniature. 
>

There is the possibility of the practice of Cartographic companies -
include a unique, small but identifiable 'error' in the original - if
the
non-existent 'error' is shown on a competitor's work the case for it not
being 'original' work is fairly clear.	Of course, would modelers accept
'flawed' models?

>Now, is it legal to copy a real life vehicle? There was some question 
>about
>this, but I believe it has been pretty much settled. One of the 
>computer sim
>companies that created an F22 Raptor sim tried to prevent everyone 
>else from
>releasing an F22 sim. They claimed other F22 sims were copyright 
>infringement,
>and they claimed they had a license from the aircraft's manufacturer
>(McDonnell Douglas?). In the end, their attempts to stop the other 
>sims was
>essentially quashed. The US Air Force stated that the aircraft was 
>built for
>the United States, therefore it was owned by the people of the United 
>States
>and its representation was, by definition, in the public domain.
>

Sounds right, FWIW.  Ideally, right is also legal...

>So, this technology is probably less of a problem for GZG than GHQ, 
>but it's
>still going to have an effect. We're entering into an era where the 
>very
>concept of intellectual property rights is being assailed and 
>redefined. We're
>also entering into an era of unprecedented ease of manufacturing. Yes, 
>this
>technology will make it easier to rip off manufacturers. But this 
>technology
>could also reduce production costs, particularly of "one offs" or 
>custom
>creations.
>

It's the custom creation thing that attracts me.  A DS2 mini with a size
5 vehicle with a size 5 HEL, a coax- DFFG/3 and a PDS/SUP...

>
>Allan Goodall			awg@sympatico.ca
>Goodall's Grotto:  http://www.vex.net/~agoodall
>

Gracias, Triphibious/Glenn
Triphibious Marines = Nektons.
Not all Frogs are French, or even Human!
Nektons, be all the Marine you can be!
Resistance is EVERYTHING!

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