[sdiy] GREAT IDEA: Schematics archive DVD project? ~``~

[Casio Rapman]

I hear ya.  This wouldn't be for profit, and I too would get annoyed seeing 
opportunists try to sell other people's hard work on Ebay.

As for copyright issues, forget about Roland, Korg, Yamaha and other 
companies still in business. They generally make their schematics available 
if and when you need them.  I'm more interested in defunct companies or 
those who won't support old products by providing schems/service manuals.  
Aren't schematics always signed over to the company who manufactured the 
product?  If a company's gone out of business (like Oberheim and ARP for 
instance), wouldn't this mean there wouldn't be any legitimate reason for 
legal action (or even whining) if someone else was to make schematics 
available again?  Do you think anyone would really object to this?



>From: WeAreAs1 at aol.com
>To: casiorapman at hotmail.com
>Subject: Re: [sdiy] GREAT IDEA: Schematics archive DVD project? ~``~
>Date: Fri, 9 Dec 2005 15:31:00 EST
>
>
>In a message dated 12/9/05 7:27:21 AM, casiorapman at hotmail.com writes:
>
>
> > Has anyone thought about making a DVD archive of schematics for ALL
> > electronic musical instruments?  They could be arranged in volumes 
>according
> > to type of machine (eg drum machines) and then sorted by manufacturer 
>and
> > model.
> > This would be an invaluable resource for DIY people.  It may be too much
> > work for 1 person, but with all the schematics available online and all 
>the
> > people who could use this and could volunteer a little time scanning /
> > compiling, a project like this should be possible.  Even though there 
>are a
> > lot of schematics online, finding them can be a hassle and websites
> > sometimes disappear.
> >
>
>Two potential problems with this:
>
>1.   Getting legal permission from the originators of the drawings.   This
>can be especially tricky when you're dealing with copied schematics of
>commercial gear, such as Roland or Yamaha.   They don't seem to be too very 
>bothered
>about having some of their schematics casually floating around the Web, but 
>try
>publishing them on a DVD, and you'll likely be hearing from their lawyers.
>There are also sometimes whiny disputes among the DIY community over who
>actually owns the drawings found on the web -- or even the ideas presented 
>within,
>even when it's clear that they were redrawn and simply adapted from some
>widely-known original public-domain source.
>
>2.   There will immediately be scumbags who try to turn your hard work and
>good intentions into a lazy man's way of making money on Ebay and Craig's 
>List.
>
>I would hate to see either of these things have a "chilling effect" on 
>those
>manufacturers and designers who are now generous and trusting enough to 
>share
>their designs with the public.
>

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