Darrell Feltmate wrote:
That being so I do not think
that a generic hollow form would be a form of plagiarizing. There are
certain surface enhancements that a copying of would appear to me to be
plagiarizing

That raises the question of time, and definitions. I wonder who turned
the first hollow vessel from wood, and when? Great idea, and the
originator deserves a lot of credit. Likewise with style and decorative
enhancements. There is a very fine line between copying, and working in
the 'style of'. Who was the first person to decorate a turning with
carving? Or carving in this style, or another style which derives from
the first?

It would
seem to be plagiarizing when the finished product is perceived to be a
blatant copy of an another turner's work, otherwise not.

Perception is a very subjective thing though! Some might perceive that
an object is a copy, others may perceive very slight changes in style
that add immensely to (or detract from) the copied work.

If credit is given where
credit is due, is it palgiarism?

And what if the plagiarism is subconcious? I probably incorporate all
sorts of elements into my work due to past influences, but I doubt that
I could tell you where they came from.

If a quilt using a published design is entered into a
contest and wins a monetary prize, it is deemed to have won by merit of the
skill of the quilter and the skill of the designer and the priae money is
expected to be devided between the two, even if the designer is unaware of
the use of the design in this instance. Something for thought.

That's interesting. I'm curious as to whether quilters actually give
credit when they use a published design. It certainly puts the maker in
a category of pure craft, rather than one of designer craft or artist,
and hopefully would be judged in a different category.

Of course, once one publishes a plan, unless it is sold with limited
rights (ie it may be used only once, or may only be used for personal
use) then it moves into public domain.

Then of course there is plagiarism of technique. Do we give credit to
the person(s) who developed the techniques for making turned natural
edge green bowls, or wooden boxes, or bottle stoppers.


--
Derek Andrews, woodturner

http://www.seafoamwoodturning.com
http://chipshop.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/toolrest/