Thread: Re-using designs

Chumley,

To quote someone, cant remember who. The secret to true creative genius is knowing how to hide your sources. Everyone who creates uses ideas from other peoples designs to some extent. Usually not purposely or consciously, but we all have our influences. If you know where the idea came from then it is good manners to say your design was influenced by xxx or is a copy of. This is unless you are selling, if you are selling then it may open a whole new ball of wax...

In the real world, I seriously doubt that there is an original furniture design out there. Almost everything is an adaptation of a previous design.

G'day,

In all aspects of creating something, there is nothing new under the sun, it's what you do with it and how that use that influence.

In my field, like I said above, there is nothing new under the sun, but from time to time you see something that has your tongue hitting the floor - so you file that way in your head because one day you may incorporate an elemnet of it into ourt own work. (no point in denying - we all do it)

Imitation is the best form of flattery.

Originality is but plagiarism undetected.

But it's nice if you were influenced by someone, to acknowledge that person/design at the end of the day.

I figure that if I do that, one day someone may do the same for me.

Cheers,

P

Drawing inspiration from someone is ok.
A full on outright copy is not.

To quote someone, all design is derivative. One way to teach yourself to design is to make a note of designs you like or dislike, than ask yourself why. Your answers should help you to create your own designs.

That said, you shouldn't copy someone elses design without asking and acknowledging, and you certainly shouldn't copy someones design if your making things for sale. Even most commercial plans state that they may only be used for personal items.

SWMBO has a habit of bringing a photo or drawing from an overseas decorating mag and saying "Can you make me one of these?... oh but can you change this bit to look like this other picture and paint it white like this next picture... oh and make it a bit taller and narrower"
Yes dear.
Add to that the sheer volume of pictures in woodworking mags, online and other bits of the press and you would be hard pressed to work out how much of your original design idea owes to something you've already seen and filed in your subconscious.
Cheers
Graeme

As others have said all designs have been influenced by work the designer has seen before.

The key word is influenced not copied.

find what you like, note what you like about it and also what you don't, think what would make it better, check out other similiar or different examples ....let it stew in the old grey matter for awhile then get lots of butchers paper and start sketching.

Start with concepts, minor changes ..a new sheet of paper every change. keep working through the process - it is work (the better the design the harder the work usually).
keep developing it... then all of a sudden......hey presto

You have designed it...not copied it and the construction and end result will be so much more enjoyable because you were the one that came up with those thoughts.

Depends on a bunch of things .
If you change elements of a design to suit you needs tastes etc then the resulting design is yours. That IS design!
A direct copy of anothers work for your own use is fine even flattering possibly to the designer letting him know you have done this might be nice for him to hear but dont you dare sell it as your own or sell it at all without the designers OK and this would be unlikely without offering a % of returns.

When I was designing and making for a living and was asked to present drawings of designs (usually 3) I always made the client aware that the drawings Always remained my property and that a fee applied for the design that would be deducted off the cost of the piece if the client decided to go ahead. I also lodged a copy of said drawings with my lawyer at the same time.Having an official record of a design makes legal action far simpler.

I had several clients who took these drawings to other makers to get quotes. I put a stop to that real quick. All of them were stunned that I didnt approve. Some people only understand legal action and others only understand more traditional methods of communication.

Rgds

Ross

Originally Posted by echnidna

Drawing inspiration from someone is ok.
A full on outright copy is not.

Bob - as long as you don't sell it & claim it as your own, it is legal!

Agree with all sentiments above - we are all, consciously or unconsciouly, influenced by what we've seen here & everywhere else. If you are copying someone more or less to the letter, then as Midge says, an acknowledgement is not only polite, I reckon it's obligatory, if you want to be considered an accolyte and not a plagiarist.

This forum thrives on people showing off stuff, and I've always accepted that if you put something up for show, then someone else might like it & want one too - how closely they follow the original will depend on lots of factors, like preferred colours, minor or major design mods, skill of maker, etc. It may end up looking nothing like the original (not alwyas intentionally! ), but the idea or inspiration came from somewhere else.

Most of us here aren't pros, & if someone were to like something I did so much they wanted to copy it (unlikely!!) I'd happily give 'em the (ruff!) measurements, I'd be so flattered. And if they wanted to make lots & sell them, I couldn't care less, either, because I'm strictly a hamateur, & I won't be competing with them. But if I was trying to make a living out of selling what I thought were my original ideas, I'd feel a lot differently...

Cheers,

I design and build playgrounds amongst other things so its a little different to a peice of furniture.... but not too far really.

I have had my designs ripped off 3 times (that I know of) One I sought and received compensation the other two I only found out about after the construction had finished so I had little leaverage and didn't care to pay the lawyers.

But I can tell you that it is not a nice feeling to know that someone values your design enough to use it but not enough to pay for it.

One of the 2 cases above, an fantastic modernist inspired domestic job was for a professional food photographer who would have been perfectly aware of intellectual property rights..... that really stuck in the throat.

I guess refering to IanW's post if the designer makes a living selling designs I wouldn't copy, if you are inspired on the other hand by something created by an hamateur as Ian labels himself... still try to individualise it to suit you.

BTW I think the law says that 12 or 13% difference is deemed to be a significant change an hence will get you around standard design copyrights... or something to that effect...

Interesting.

I'm in the throes of making a cupboard more or less a direct rip off of one in FWW. But the design is traditional, so it doesn't really belong to him. What I have nicked is his method of construction, with a few changes to suit my set up. FWW sells full plans, so if you bought them, I guess that gives you license to make an exact copy. But since he has adapted the design from everything that has gone before and there's nothing really novel in it, I doubt he could do anything to stop someone making them in the hundreds.

So I guess it depends on if you are talking about something traditional, or something unique.

This has been interesting reading - most ideas gel with mine and are probably what you'd call reasonable - I didn't think of the situation where someone is making stuff as a business, guess the thought of making money from woodworking is a bit far from me (at least what I produce, although I did do a couple of things on commission early on).

I'd be interested to know how those who make a living from their woodworking handle the copyright aspect. In a former dimension I used to write songs - we used to take a full copy of the piece and send it to ourselves using certified mail, then leave the sealed letter in a safe place - producing this in front of a legal situation is the ultimate proof of ownership (so long as someone else didn't do the same but a day or two earlier!).

Thanks for the input everyone,
Cheers,
Chumley

Silent,
I think what Bleedin is talking about is a genuine rip-off. I was trying to make a distinction between an amateur putting something up here and a pro trying to make a living doing something that requires individual design, etc. My take is that when you put something out on a BB like this, or as an article in a mag. it is implicit that you are inviting people to have a go at it themselves, if they so wish. In BT's case, he was not inviting copycats implicitly or otherwise, so he has a right to be cross.

In your case you are simply doing what the magazine and author expected, I would suggest.

Cheers,