Copyright...

[Tony Allgood]

Hi all,

Copyright only exists on the drawing, not what it contains. Anyone is
legally entitled to copy any circuit diagram in their own hand. They may
make it into a commercial product, unless it is patented. You may not
however copy a PCB layout or just make a few changes to it and call it
your own. This is regarded as a work of art/imagination and cannot be
copied.

But, remember, the design of a circuit is only one small step to a
completed product. 10% probably. If somebody has pinched your circuit
which you have presented to the world on the internet, then that is
life.

How many of us want to see schematics, only to copy them for ourselves.
So this is OK if we build it for ourselves only? Its a bit like its OK
to copy a CD which you have borrowed from a friend, but not OK to sell a
1000 pirate versions. Surely both are wrong, it is just a matter of
degree.

On the other hand if this sort of 'sharing' of ideas never happened, the
world would be a very different world today. Stealing other businesses'
ideas drives many companies to better themselves against their
competition. The first thing many manufacturers do when their
competition releases a new product is to pull it apart and find out how
they did that. They then try and do one better. (or just copy it with
different colour scheme. Soundcraft vs. Soundtracs. Unfortunately for
them, Soundtracs also copied the PCB layout...)

Meanwhile I'm happy to keep on putting up my circuits for everyone to
see and copy and improve upon (surely not!!). And if I sell a few PCBs
in the process that is all well and good.

Regards,

Tony Allgood  Penrith, Cumbria, England

Oakley Modular Synth and TB3030:
www.techrepairs.freeserve.co.uk/projects.htm
My music: www.mp3.com/taklamakan