Copyright Shield Designs ?

[M. Demetrius]

It's all about the money, then, isn't it? I suppose, if the Egyptians are successful, copies of the Eiffel Tower, all paperweights that look like the Colisseum, etc., etc., will be taxed by the governments. I'm an old fashiohed fellow, and I say, "Bah, humbug."

[Robert]

Well, we had a serious copyright brush with the German museum park Xanten. http://www.romanarmy.com/rat/viewtopic.php?t=14994

The point is the exhibit or performance issue. If you make something into an exhibit or performance, like buying a 2000 year old helmet, giving it a good wipe, sticking it into a display case with a card and/or a picture, you have the copyright of that exhibition. As for performance, hire a bunch of re-enactors, give them a location and have them perform, he presto, copyright is yours. Make sure you make the group sign away their rights, like Xanten does!

This of course is something totally different then claiming copyright to a shielddesign, but there are similarities. The seven points of difference from the original on TC are readily achieved (size, angle variation, colourscheme, placing of the crescents, size of boss), making the shielddesign a unique creation by the person or group and subject to copyright. hock:

Apart from the technicalities above, I do still hold the opinion that squabbling over petty issues like copyright of a shielddesign between re-enactments groups is "conduct unbecoming a centurion", a sure sign of taking oneself far too seriously and behavior that should be ridiculed. :lol:

I am still curious of the outcome of the copyright lawsuit between the two German groups that split up.

[rusty myers]

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)

hob·by1 Pronunciation[hob-ee]
–noun, plural -bies.
1. an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation: Her hobbies include stamp-collecting and woodcarving.
2. a child's hobbyhorse.
3. Archaic. a small horse.
—Idiom4. ride a hobby, to concern oneself excessively with a favorite notion or activity. Also, ride a hobbyhorse.


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[Origin: 1325–75; ME hoby(n), prob. for Robin, or Robert (cf. hob2), used as horse's name, as in dobbin]

—Related forms
hob·by·ist, noun
hob·by·less, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

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So either we start having fun... get off our high hobby horse... or it is not a hobby any more. Incidentally the term is not period... :wink:

[Magnus]

Amen!

[Bran ap Maclou]

Yeah ! 110% right !

Never forget however that some people live that not like a hobby but also as a way of life or a job. So, you never know who you deal with.

bye!

Greg

[Robert]

[Origin: 1325–75; ME hoby(n), prob. for Robin, or Robert (cf. hob2), used as horse's name, as in dobbin]

Are you calling me a horse? :lol:

Fine, noble creature and trusty servant of man. About sums it up

[rusty myers]

hehehe... Now that is funny.. totally unintentional I assure you, but marvelously entertaining!! :lol:

[Robert]

Salve Rusty!

Keep the faith, my valliant knight, call me a horse any day and may those that turn our hobby into strife reap the wrath of the Furies. :twisted: We shall carve their names into a lead tablet, call upon the dark gods to punish them, sacrifice a good KFChicken, roll the scroll up tight and bury it in a secret place. (I saw a very nice lead cursification (can't be proper English!) tablet in Nijmegen the other day)

[Matt Lukes]

Cursification sounds good to me :wink: :lol:

[jkaler48]

AVE;

Be nice and avoid stepping on toes:

1. Check the Roman Shield Yahoo Group for shield designs in use by different groups.

2. Avoid exact duplication unless you ask the unit(s) already using the pattern

3. Send me a copy of your new pattern to post in the photo database

4. Most design elements are in the public domain so copyright will not
often be a problem. That said crazy people with money can sue you
and cost you thousands of dollars even if they have no real legal grounds
to do so. There is one guy who threatens to sue people as he has "copyrighted" the name of a 2 thousand year old legion.

[Magnus]

What sane legal system allows the copyright of historic names?

[M. Demetrius]

Who said the US legal system was sane? :?

[Marcus Hortensius Castus]

I know it's the height of rudeness to copy a shield (or any) design to a "T", but is this all really, honestly necessary to the carrying out of living history? I was glad this argument/discussion had died, to be honest.

[Paullus Scipio]

Who said the US legal system was sane?

...it's not 'the legal system'........sort of......the way it works is that anyone can claim 'copyright' i.e. "my intellectual property" on anything. If they wish to assert their 'rights' against anyone else, they must sue that person for breach.......and that person can then plead a valid reason such as 'public domain' or 'not your intellectual property', and a court decides who is right.......the unfair pressure comes because it is expensive to go to court......by and large, if you are sure of your ground, and are bullied by a threat of litigation - call the bluff ! ( but be sure - being wrong can be expensive)


DISCLAIMER WARNING: The above is not legal advice. If confronted with such a situation, obtain your own specific legal advice

[Hibernicus]

Companies like Nike trademark an historic name for a specific use.

McDonalds is another. ...Except in the UK where THE MacDonald, who actually owns the name [and its variant spellings], gave permission to the burger chain to use it...

Hibernicus