Arch:

You've honed your Don't Just Step In IT - Jump In With Both Feet skills
close to perfection. I suspect you will be hearing from Dave Barry,
and maybe even Mort Sahl (for the younger crowd - Google "Mort
Sahl") - or their lawyers - about Satire Infringement Law. A Cease
and Desist order is probably already in the mail.

With all the chatter on the subject, does anyone know of an actual
case of a turner filing a law suit to prevent another turner from
"copying" their work? I suspect the issue of copywright and patent
infringement might come up with some of the tools, chisels and
gouges - but forms and techniques?

There seems to be a simple solution to "protecting your work"
- sign AND date your pieces. A little "pyrography" set up, or
one of those vibrating engravers don't cost much and take less
than a minute to use. Then - as insurance, put a drop of 2 pound
cut shellac somewhere in an out of the way place on the piece
and, while it's tacky, press your fingerprint into it. Should it
ever be necessary to prove that you, and you alone, made or
didn't make a specific piece . . .

A "studio jeweler" named Bob Wintson did "limited editions" of
his unique style jewelry and sold them by placing ads in Arizona
Highways. He was making good money this way - in addition to
giving group and private lessons and showing his work in various
galleries in Arizona and New Mexico.

After a while a friend showed him an ad in another art magazine
selling pieces that looked very much like Bob's work - at 1/10th
the price. Bob sent in his order - and check - for one of those
pieces and quickly verified that someone who'd bought the
"original" (actually a copy of the original but called one of a
"limited edition") had made a rubber mold of it and was selling
knock offs - and not good knock offs at that.

So he filed a law suit against the knock off "artist".

In court, said "artist" claimed that he had similar training
lived in a similar environment and therefore had similar
inspiration for his "limited edition" pieces. He claimed that
it should not be surprising that he could create pieces
very similar to Mr. Winston's pieces.

Lacking irrefutable proof that the designs were exclusively
his, the judge ruled against Mr. Wintson.

In his next series of limited edition jewelry, Bob added a
little soft wax to a spot on each piece and impressed
his fingerprint into it. With lost wax casting EVERYTHING
in the wax comes out in the cast metal piece. And if
you make a rubber mold of the original (the easiest way
to make multiples for a "limited edition") every detail,
including the fingerprint, is in the cast metal copies.

Mr. Winston then placed his usual add in Arizona Highways
and waited for orders. He kept track of the names,
addresses, etc., of every purchaser of that series,
looking specifically for orders from the area of the
"supsected" knock off artist. Then he looked for The
Ad. When he found it he ordered a "limited edition"
piece from "artist".

Sure enough, the piece he received had his fingerprint
right where he knew it to be.

This time, when the knock off artist began his "similar
training, similar environment - therefore similar designs"
routine, Mr. Winston asked how the knock off artist
was able to have a fingerprint identical to Mr. Winston's
AND to place it in exactly the same location as Mr.
Winston's originals

The knock off artist found another line of work.

So - if you're concerned about someone selling a
knock off as one of your original pieces - which is
a valid issue - sign and date your work. If you want
a little insurance - ue the shellac/fingerprint trick.

And Arch - thanks for the chuckle.

charlie b