Schematics & politics

[jbv]

Hello beautiful people (and Hawkwind fans as well),

I've been peeping into this list for a few weeks,
and I've seen plenty of contributions by happy
hobbyists ready to spend their days & nights to
improve the world of analog circuitry.

I've read contributions about posting old
schematics, about getting permissions to post
other schematics, suggestions for modifying / improving
some circuitry, calls for suggestions for new
circuitry, etc. etc.

And of course, as I'm a very curious boy*, a few questions
came to my mind, regarding posting & publishing, and
the copyright rules behind this.

For instance : let's say I have a project in mind.
I pick up ideas from a music machine released in 77,
a few bits of a schemo published in a magazine in 82,
another bits of info from a book I found at the public library,
another idea from another machine (by moog, why not),
mix up everything together, end up with a great salad and add 
my own ketchup on top of everything.
Then I end up with a new module that does (more or less) what
I had in mind at the beginning.
As long as this thing stays in my living-room, no problem.

But what if I decide to share / discuss this circuit on
the DIY list, and even publish the whole thing on the net ?
How many copyright rules am I breaking at that point (I don't
even think of going into commercial production) ?

On the other hand : what if I publish one of my great ideas
on the list, just for the pleasure of sharing it ?

jbv

* yes, I'm a boy