mutual respect

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farid.

farid.

Knife Maker
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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Dear Members,
My question is simple, if an established maker has been incorporating a feature in his knives for quite some years, when other makers start using that feature on their knives even if the idea is not patented should the other maker/makers at least give ‘credit’ to the original maker/designer who first came up with the idea/concept ?
This has nothing to do with patents just to do with mutual respect. I like to hear from the members what they feel about this subject.
Thank you all for your time.
Farid
 
I judge a maker not only by his work, but how I respect him as a person.
If I'm buying a custom knife, I like to think that what I'm getting is a product of the maker.
Anyway, it's just good manners.
I'm pretty sure anyone putting the Spydie hole in a blade would have the manners to discuss it with Sal first….. :D
 
san-mai-usa said:
I judge a maker not only by his work, but how I respect him as a person.
If I'm buying a custom knife, I like to think that what I'm getting is a product of the maker.
Anyway, it's just good manners.
I'm pretty sure anyone putting the Spydie hole in a blade would have the manners to discuss it with Sal first….. :D
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Hi San-Mai,
Absolutely right, for example the Spyderco trademark hole can only be used by authorised/licenced makers and I work very closely with Spyderco and other people in this industry, we are talking about mutual respect in an industry which is actually quite small and everyone knows each other.
My way of treating people is always with respect and kindness and never had an unhappy customer also I always like to give credit where and when it is deserved.
 
choombak said:
I'd definitely give credit to the originator of the idea, no second thoughts.
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For me there is only one way to live my life, ' in an honest way ' , perhaps it is why I do not accept (on most occasions) any deposits from people, except if the cost of the materials is huge, that way I am just trusting my collectors/ users, which is the way I work.
 
san-mai-usa said:
Good manners cost nothing, bad manners cost you your reputation.
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san-mai,
You couldn’t be more right, also ‘the subject that is on the table here’ which is simply giving credit ‘costs nothing’
 
choombak said:
I'd definitely give credit to the originator of the idea, no second thoughts.
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You can easily design a knife which when you look at it could have a similar grind line, perhaps similar contour on the handle, top of the blade maybe similar, we can go on and fill a page with this kind of stuff, ‘But’ what if the feature/features were very distinct to a makers work, do we then find that it would be ‘honourable‘ to simply give credit ?
 
'Distinct features'
Something like a grind line is difficult or maybe impossible to give credit to (to a modern day maker) simply because for thousands of years people have been making knives and swords and making them in all different ways using their own methods, handle shapes, blades ‘V’ ground, convex, hollow ground, whatever. These are NOT distinct features which a maker/makers can expect any degree of credit for they were done thousands of years ago.
The feeling I get from all people who I have spoken to about this subject so far have been similar to what I have so far heard from some members, ‘where it is deserved to give a simple credit, give it’
 
Sometimes people only think they were the first to come up with the idea though and hadn't just subconsciously picked up devices and details that are relatively common currency ... it is why there's the patent system.

Not saying that this is applying to you Farid. But unless it is something that is recognisable as part of the visual brand of a particular maker, it is very tricky. On the other hand, like San Mai USA, if I see someone making an unattributed steal, I tend to think low of them

The other thing is that citing other people as influences often does one good :lol: Suggests pedigree :)
 
Noddy said:
Sometimes people only think they were the first to come up with the idea though and hadn't just subconsciously picked up devices and details that are relatively common currency ... it is why there's the patent system.

Not saying that this is applying to you Farid. But unless it is something that is recognisable as part of the visual brand of a particular maker, it is very tricky. On the other hand, like San Mai USA, if I see someone making an unattributed steal, I tend to think low of them

The other thing is that citing other people as influences often does one good :lol: Suggests pedigree :)
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Hi Noddy, if there is a patent in question then the inventor can protect themselves but certain feature/features which could or could not have been patented can still receive ‘credit’ and all the credit should go to the designer/maker, I manufacture frame lock folders, although the concept of the ‘Frame Lock’ is a Reeve concept all of the industry knows that and so it should get the ‘credit’ which it deserves, but what do you do when ‘credit is not given’ ?
 
QUOTE=Noddy

if I see someone making an unattributed steal, I tend to think low of them




I agree.
 
I had a small knife designed for me. It was based on something I'd seen by a US maker who wasn't producing them at the time. So I emailed him, found out he had no problem, posted him pics of the result. He was really appreciative of both the fact I'd asked, and secondly, to see the outcome. Good for all. The original maker got a nod towards his design, a new maker got to produce something out of his usual line, and I got a nice knife :)
 
Nice65 said:
I had a small knife designed for me. It was based on something I'd seen by a US maker who wasn't producing them at the time. So I emailed him, found out he had no problem, posted him pics of the result. He was really appreciative of both the fact I'd asked, and secondly, to see the outcome. Good for all. The original maker got a nod towards his design, a new maker got to produce something out of his usual line, and I got a nice knife :)
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Sounds perfect, but would you feel the same if he just went ahead and made that exact knife and took 'credit' for the design ? my guess is it wouldn't feel right or fair.
 
Good topic Farid. My thoughts are "old fashioned" I would imagine. Sometimes it appears as if the days of mutual respect are long gone. They have given way to the "gimme gimme" attitudes. I do believe that if a maker is influenced by a specific feature on a knife that is not patented or trademarked, it speaks to his or her character if they ask formally or just take it without regard.
 
RevDevil said:
Good topic Farid. My thoughts are "old fashioned" I would imagine. Sometimes it appears as if the days of mutual respect are long gone. They have given way to the "gimme gimme" attitudes. I do believe that if a maker is influenced by a specific feature on a knife that is not patented or trademarked, it speaks to his or her character if they ask formally or just take it without regard.
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Hello RD,

I can appreciate some errors in judgment in regards to this matter if it was a new maker who didn’t appreciate the respect and dues which are shown to and between, established custom makers. But the instance I am talking about however is a long standing established maker who not only should know better but was also well aware of my existence, and my products.
This I find harder to accept.
And I can’t believe his response when I approached him on this matter.
This is in regards to my unique pivot screw system which I designed and I have incorporated it in my folders since before 1998.


 
What if another maker truly believed that they did not know that a certain attribute of a knife was used by another maker?
 
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