Copywrites

[Nowicki]

What do you think about copyrites of blade designs? Are they necessairy?
Where do you get one? Etc.

Larry

 

[Nathan House]

I have been told,there is not somthing out there that has not already
been done

 

[rlinger]

I think all you have to do is state that it is copyright and by whom along with a year of creation - associated with the copyright. Example: Copyright 2003 by Joe Sixpack.

Roger

 

[Rick Baum]

Nowicki, I'm not so sure that copywriting a knife would do much good. I have a commercial art background. As far as copywriting a piece of art is concerned, it's pretty much how rlinger explained it. By putting your name on the knife pretty much copywrites it, but it doesn't do much to protect the design. Here's what I mean... I made a knife for my brother. The design of it was "my own". I put my own in quotation marks because of what Nathan said in his post. Other than a new locking mechanism or something of that nature it's almost impossible to come up with a knife design that hasn't been done over the last several thousand years. My design for my brother's knife was a culmination of experiences and influences in my life as well as interests that my brother had at the time. I could never say that my knife designs are not influenced by anyone elses. Anyway, back to my brothers knife... I sent it to someone to have a sheath made for it. The sheath maker is the wife of a knife maker. Guess what happened... "My" design got two little tweeks and voila, it became a new design for this prominent knife maker. That's the thing with copyrights, they only protect against exact duplication, like a print of an original oil painting for example. For the most part, any minor change makes the copy a "new design". You're better off spending your energy establishing yourself with quality, performance and a style of your own. You do that and people will want your knives not someone elses knockoffs.

Good luck,
Rick

 

[Nowicki]

I'm not concerned with it being copied, imitation is the highest form of flattery. I don't think what I have has never been thought of before, after thousands of years of knife making. What I don't want is to put in the time and effort only to have another knife maker tell me I cannot market it because they own it.
Larry

 

[Rick Baum]

In that case, you probably need to talk to a patent attourney. They can do a search to see if your idea is already patented. In the mean time... Take photos and drawings of your idea to a notery public and have them notorize and date your drawings and photos. This will help you establish a date that this idea/design was yours incase someone else comes up with the same idea later on. That should only cost about 15 or 20 dollars. That will pretty much take care of the copyright end of things, but if you really want to protect your idea you need to patent it $$$

Rick

 

[Nowicki]

Getting it noterised seemes the way to go . I realy don't want to stop anyone from coping just don't keep me from making it.
I have a finished blade and it works for the purpode its desigmed for. I'll get pictures and noterised and then post a picture with a little explaination as to why. Like I said it's probably been done before and it really looks mean.
Larry