Copy Right Infringement ???

[FredH]

Is it copy right infringement if I build something from someone's idea / product , but with no intention / desire to sell or even make for anyone else . Cost of making my own was around $45 but to purchase would of been over $150 .

Granted , mine does not even come close to what the original is as far as quality , but function ability is the same .

Thoughts ? And have you done something similar ? Not going to say what the product is , as that is really a mute point , it is the principal of the general idea I guess ??

Fred H.

 

[Furu]

Assuming you are not talking software but some mechanical part.

Copyright not likely. Patent infringement possibly yes. Solution is change some aspect so it is not an exact duplicate. Many things do the same thing/perform the same function but get there a bit differently. Slightly modify it and you should be ok.

 

[lilranch2001]

Is it copy right infringement if I build something from someone's idea / product , but with no intention / desire to sell or even make for anyone else . Cost of making my own was around $45 but to purchase would of been over $150 .

Granted , mine does not even come close to what the original is as far as quality , but function ability is the same .

Thoughts ? And have you done something similar ? Not going to say what the product is , as that is really a mute point , it is the principal of the general idea I guess ??

Fred H.

not as long as you are not selling it
people copy other peoples ideas all the time

 

[Gale Hawkins]

not as long as you are not selling it
people copy other peoples ideas all the time

2x:thumbsup:

 

[Alan L.]

I guess every time someone puts up a stud or drives a nail he is copying somebody.

 

[Pixguy]

As long as your not copying one of my photos your good.

Lots of people think because you buy a photo that gives them the right to copy it, wrong. Just buy more from me.

 

[MasseyWV]

Just buy more from me.

That's what everybody wants. :confused2:

 

[s219]

For your own private use, I wouldn't worry about it at all.

 

[ultrarunner]

There was a famous case where someone built an identical copy of the original Baris Bat Mobile...

If I remember correctly the car was ordered destroyed.

 

[rsewill]

For your own personal use you can make whatever you want, patented or copywrited or not. It is absolutely not your responsibility to do a patent search every time you pick up your welder and some scrap iron.

 

[swick1]

The thing about patents is they are expensive to get and defend. If you are selling a bunch of these widgets then you will be asked by an attorney to stop. If you don't stop the courts can penalize you. It is a businesses duty to defend their own patents. If they don't defend them they can lose their patent.

My patents have taken 6 years each to issue and cost about $11k each. I run a small company and it would be tough for us to prosecute anyone infringing on our patents. However we would find a way to make it happen. The path of least resistance is a 'cease and desist' letter.

For personal use or to sell a couple of them to your buddies you should be okay as long as you don't advertise.

 

[weedpharma]

For your own personal use you can make whatever you want, patented or copywrited or not. It is absolutely not your responsibility to do a patent search every time you pick up your welder and some scrap iron.

"if I build something from someone's idea / product " says he wants to copy someone elses product. This is totally different from " every time you pick up your welder and some scrap iron" and end up with a similar product.

This is not to say I have never looked at an existing design and used the basics to build my machine.

It is not worth the effort to chase anyone who copies a design for personal use even if they may have the right to do so.

Weedpharma

 

[Agent Blue]

Being paranoid is not a bad thing. With the coming of spy drones it will prove the theory ... they are watching. Cover your shop windows, build in darkness, and don't admit to nothing. Haul your steel scraps in a van covered with tin foil. If the project comes out looking professional.... use a torch to cut extra holes and slots similar to stealth technology.
Having a day job fits well into the program to avoid interest in your activities.

 

[TraderMark]

Thanks Agent Blue.
I needed that laugh this morning!


Mark

 

[Jeepnford]

Being paranoid is not a bad thing. With the coming of spy drones it will prove the theory ... they are watching. Cover your shop windows, build in darkness, and don't admit to nothing. Haul your steel scraps in a van covered with tin foil. If the project comes out looking professional.... use a torch to cut extra holes and slots similar to stealth technology.
Having a day job fits well into the program to avoid interest in your activities.

Don't forget to wear your tinfoil hat, the drones also have mind reading capability. Mine would be a very short story.

 

[edlegault]

Don't forget to wear your tinfoil hat, the drones also have mind reading capability.

Which is better: the smooth kind or the "quilted" type? I think heavy duty style in either case, and don't forget to use some duck tape to attach to your head so it doesn't fall off when you bend over to pick something up. Oh... and bring the foil down the back of your neck, too. :drool: :confused2:

 

[CTyler]

Sorry guys....You can block your windows, weld in the dark and wear your tin hats however None of that will work against remove viewing.

 

[bcp]

Research shows tinfoil hats AMPLIFY government signals!

http://berkeley.intel-research.net/arahimi/helmet/

Abstract:
Among a fringe community of paranoids, aluminum helmets serve as the protective measure of choice against invasive radio signals. We investigate the efficacy of three aluminum helmet designs on a sample group of four individuals. Using a $250,000 network analyser, we find that although on average all helmets attenuate invasive radio frequencies in either directions (either emanating from an outside source, or emanating from the cranium of the subject), certain frequencies are in fact greatly amplified. These amplified frequencies coincide with radio bands reserved for government use according to the Federal Communication Commission (FCC). Statistical evidence suggests the use of helmets may in fact enhance the government's invasive abilities. We speculate that the government may in fact have started the helmet craze for this reason.

 

[Domush]

You cannot copyright a product. copyrights only cover specific arrangements, such as artwork or words or code. In order for something to be considered art, it cannot be functional.

Patents cover ideas and products. You are entirely allowed to build anything, whether patented or not. The issue comes in when you wish to use it, as using a patented item is illegal. Now, if you improve upon a patent a sufficient amount, you are no longer infringing upon that patent, as it is no longer the same design, but a new design of your making. If you improve upon it in a "meaningful way", you may now patent (and sell/use) what you built and are no longer limited by the initial patent.

 

[jwmorris]

If you copy a patented item and are sued you will loose. If you make one item yourself, for personal use, it wouldn't be worth the effort for 99.999% of companies to sue.