Kirk wrote:
Some turners might be plagiarizing without even knowing it.

This is from an article in the American Woodturner and it really got me to
thinking. With all of the shapes that have already been turned how many
are left? Will I ever be able to turn something that has not already been
done? Before reading this article I had made the assumption that
everything that I turned was original and mine. Now that my eyes are open
it is obvious that I am guilty of intellectual theft. Somewhere,
sometime, someone has certainly turned a piece identical to anything that
I would randomly generate.

Time to change my name and head to the hills. What is the difference
between a felony and a misdemeanor?

Rambling, worked all night and brain not working any more.

Kirk

There is nothing wrong with re-inventing the wheel. It isn't even illegal.

you don't need to worry...

You don't need to worry unless you are _copying_ work... If you come up
with the idea independently -- that is good enough.

If something is an _exact copy_ of a "work of art" that is another matter...

At least that is the gist of Intellectual Property (IP) law.

Pull out the tools and hit the lathe. :-)