[sdiy] Legal issues of cloning

[Mattias Rickardsson]

Sorry for a late reply - this thread is interesting but I'm not sure
if everything is that much clearer. ;-) Tom wrote "Schematics can be
copyrighted. You can't copy someone else's copyrighted schematic. Draw
your own." and it makes me wonder what we mean with all the words...
The schematic is not what is cloned and sold, so... And what if I draw
my own? That is, draw my own schematic [picture] of the same circuit
construction, and then build it and sell it? Or perhaps it referred to
the PCB layout? Or the circuit construction?

I can come to think of some different aspects of all this
cloning/copying/reusing/inspirational work, and some different degrees
of reusing stuff. To get things straight, what is your legal viewpoint
of the following acts:


1 - to use the same PCB layout


2a - to use the same (unpatented) circuit construction

2b - to use PARTS OF the same (unpatented) circuit construction,
together with own work


3a - to use the same panel print & exterior design

3b - to use the same STYLE of panel print & exterior design


4a - to sell the result as a finished product

4b - to sell it as a kit for the buyer to build, including all parts

4c - to sell it as a kit for the buyer to build, NOT including most
electronic components


5a - to include the original product name in the new product name

5b - to HINT at the original product name in the new product name

5c - to mention the original product name when describing and selling
the product


/mr


On 6 October 2013 17:58, David G Dixon <dixon at mail.ubc.ca> wrote:
> There are no legal issues of cloning, unless a) you use trademarked or
> copyrighted materials in your design (like putting the company logo on the
> panel) or b) there are elements under patent protection (unlikely, given
> that patents are only good for 17 to 20 years from the priority date, which
> will be long past for all this stuff).
>
> Opposing viewpoints welcome!
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: synth-diy-bounces at dropmix.xs4all.nl
>> [mailto:synth-diy-bounces at dropmix.xs4all.nl] On Behalf Of GGG
>> Sent: Sunday, October 06, 2013 12:38 AM
>> To: synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl
>> Subject: [sdiy] Legal issues of cloning
>>
>> Dear collegues,
>>       There are lot of classical synth clones arround,
>> available as DIY kits - I've built TR909, Polivoks VCF, CS-80
>> VCF, there are active discussions on ARP 2600 clone KIT,
>> about to be on sale.
>>       I wonder, what are the legal issues of cloning synths?
>> What's a procedure of getting permission (I doubt, it's easy
>> to get a permissoin from producers , like Korg or Yamaha,
>> just because of hudge scale of companies and beurocracy and
>> Polivoks is dead end at all). If a developer of the clone
>> adds some sigificant upgrades to the original schematics - is
>> this still considered as a direct clone, or what's a degree
>> of upgrades, one should add?
>>
>> Best regards,
>>
>> Girts
>>
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