Newb question

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CaptainPicardX

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Im thinking about getting into making my own knives.. Obviously not only cause I acn make any knife Ive always wanted.. but will be selling them too at some point..

My question is.. From what I can gather it is okay to use other knife makers style.. blade style and /or handle..? Is it? Or can someone sue you for using their design? I see that most knife makers copy at least some design aspect from other makers.. if not the whole knife with maybe slight diffrenece.. so Im guessing its okay..

The reason I ask is cause once in a while Ill see some troll bitch about how hes gonna report some guy for making a knife that looks just like such and suchs knife.. some well known maker..

Im assuming its okay to use whatever design you want ( other peoples design) as long as you dont try to sell them under hes name.. aka counterfit..

ONe of my favorite is the Brend Model 2, also some fighter style bowies,etc... that Im planning to make..

I just dont want to invest time and money..esp. in my case being a mechanic.. not cheap for me.. just so I can have some asshole keep flagging my post all over the net, cause my blade shape looks like someone else..I wont be able to sell jack

which is gonna piss me off

??

feedback appreciated
 
Let's move this over to where knifemakers can give you more precise answers. Asking customers will yield an entirely different set of answers.
 
Yes, you will have nothing but trouble on your hands if you copy in more than one a particular knife made by a particular person or company. Why would you think this would be alright to do? Maybe you have been living to long in China.
Frank
 
I would suggest trying to be creative. Everyone is influenced by others designs, that's been going on for thousands of years. A knife cuts things, we can't reinvent the wheel, but why replicate someone else's details? Let your conscience be your guide, it should tell you if it's forgery or not.
 
But how many rectagular cell phones are out there? This is what gets me.. nobody seems to be suing each other over that.. they sure each other over software..

besides.. Im not talking about trying to re create the exact same materials as someone else.. BUt if I end up making a combat knife that looks like a kabar.. I cant help it.. or a Brend, or a Snody,etc..
 
Look, it's ok to be influenced by other makers. Everybody is. Don't buy a knife, copy it, make it, and sell it. Look at a bunch of knives you like and come up with your own design. Post it here and get feedback on the design. Look at the sharpfinger. Schrade made it first and now a bunch of people make it, including me! I made one after only seeing pictures. Although it has the same overall look it's different because I put my own spin on it. Just don't copy. Like stated earlier, there are not a lot of completely new designs(functional), since knives have been around for thousands of years
 
Thanks .. thats what I figured..I see a lot of guys making that Jason Knight style bowies.. I dont see them gettin sued.. and theyre not in China either.. I also see a lot of pig stickers that look the same.. so I just see how anyone can not just sue you but even bitch at you for making a knife that looks Similar to theirs.. I see them all over.. I just went over 100 pages of knife pics on BF and 80 of blade designs look the same.. dif.. lenghts, but still the same..

anyway..
 
What I do is look a pictures of the type of knife I want to make then I sit down with a piece of paper and pencil and I sketch out what I want from images in my mind of what I want my knife to look like. I may take bits and pieces from various knives and meld them into one knife that I have an image of in my head. I saw a video of how Murray Carter designs a knife once and that really helped me with my sketching. If I can find it I'll post a link.

Jay
 
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I think your concerns are in the wrong place right now. One foot in front of the other. Research, draw up some designs, research, make some mockups, research, make a knifelike object with steel and hand tools, research, and finally, decide to commit or quit. Did I mention research?
 
No, Ive been aroung knives for a while.. just never tought about making them.. and yes i agree with everything you said as far sketching.. I already have several ones... Im just worried about investing my time and Ill have to sacrifice a lot of my stuff, sell it off , in order to be able to buy at least half assed equipment to make knives.. the way I want.. probably send the heat treat to peters.. Im already 5 feet in actually.. I just dont wanna spend a month making a nice dagger.. just so that Im told that Im not allowed to sell it to anyone..thats all..

but anyway..
 
It sounds as though you are your worst enemy, my friend. Can you give an example of what similarity to other makers work you are talking about? One of your sketches might help get you the response you are looking for.
 
CaptainPicardX said:
But how many rectagular cell phones are out there? This is what gets me.. nobody seems to be suing each other over that.. they sure each other over software..
Click to expand...

That is far from the truth my friend. Apple, Google, Samsung, etc have been suing each other over cell phone patents, code and more, for the last decade...

Here's my thoughts on this

I think its true that many "usable" blade profiles been made at least once or twice in the past several thousand years, but making a blade shape is the easy part. When you actually start making a few knives you realize there is a lot more available to make yours unique then when just taking a casual glance at an existing knife. You start looking at things like liners, pins, clips, multiple handle materials and handle shapes, blade finishes, damascus types... The options are vast and near limitless if you are creative. As crowded as the knife making world has gotten there are still many out there who can make a knife which folks can identify the creator from across the room. The more you work at it, the more subtleties you notice and appreciate that other makers implement.

I call them patterns because no one owns the rights to a Bowie, Tanto, French, Gyuto, etc knife profile that I am aware of. So if you want to make a Bowie, for example, then go for it. Making a knife with a Bowie blade is something most makers do or will do at least once in their career. Now, that said, it is not the same as copying every aspect of someone else's Bowie and recreating it exactly. This is bad and you will likely be shunned for this!

That and when you spend this much time and money acquiring the skills and machinery to do all this you want to make your knives unique to you.

My thoughts on it, you guys agree?

-Clint
 
I think Busse has a Trademark on certain aspects of his design and there are Patents on certain lock designs - other than that, if you don't sell your knives as being made by some other maker (full disclosure) you should be OK. Also, pay attention to the laws in your neck of the woods.
 
Designs and styles influence and inspire. If you are specifically copying a specific model from a specific maker, your conscience should tell you that if you plan on making a profit from it, its wrong. Like I said about one foot in front of the other, make a couple knife like objects and see what transpires. Dont limit yourself by mimicking. Thats my two cents, but its in confederate money.
 
Well said Clint.

Also, if you plan too far ahead, you'll defeat your creativity as you go.
 
If you can make a knife anything near as good as and in much the same styling it won't look the same nor will there be anyone chasing you except maybe to buy.
Frank
 
There are many "general" knife types/designs that aren't claimed by anyone. Hunters, skinners, fighters, camp knives, utility, etc... All these blades have certain features that aren't patented by anyone. There's nothing wrong with using these features in your own design. By doing this it makes it pretty easy to create your own design.

There's really no reason to make a direct copy of someone else's specific design. To copy a specific design or invention of someone else, without permission, is wrong. I think you'll find that, if there IS something in particular you want to use, asking the creator first is the best way to go. Often times they will say yes and it's best to give them credit too. You'll find this a lot with Damascus patterns.
 
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