doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Engaver's and copy rights

I think original, new art work should be respected. Work which has been done a thousand times in almost the same way should be fair game. The difference to me is if a new engraving makes extensive use of new art work or pictures of dogs or game like none have done before the engraver should profit from his designs. If you like it send your gun to him and have him do it or one like it. Don't see it and rip him off by sending your guns to someone else to copy his work for less money. But rose and scroll or some other tried and true engraving pattern should be free to have done by whom ever you wish.

I am sure many of the oldest patterns have been released to the public domain, or that no one cares any longer to pursue their interest.

But rest assured, super star engraver's are quite protective of their work.

It is very plausible that a family of an original engraver should be treated no differently than the Gaye family.

But in my case, I wish to copy the engraving for a new host, not a repair, on a defunct company firearm, performed by an unknown (to me) deceased staff engraver.

Celtic knots, when well executed, look fantastic to me, when poorly done, abominable. Evidently the current popularity of them as a theme, has stirred quite a row. Easy to copy the nice designs.

Make that, steal someone else's work, and call it your own.

An Independant engraver working on his own might be one story. But in the case of production doubles, it was the shop engravers executing what the company had established as standard for a given grade of gun. So if anyone had rights to it, wouldn't it be the company? And even in that case, I doubt any of them would have protected the patterns.

OK, copy Kornbrath or properly executed Celtic engraving. Good luck with that.

Mock all you like.
Stealing is stealing.
The Gaye family just got what, 20 million? for a pop song "copy".

People can do near perfect copies of engraving.
here's something to read for the naysayers.
http://www.engraverscafe.com/showthread.php?6429-Copying-the-work-of-other-engravers

The difference is, the song was copyrighted. I have never heard of engraving styles/patterns being copyrighted, or patented. If there has been, that is a different animal and are probably extremely rare if at all. However, if they are not protected, they are fair game and rightfully so. I doubt there is an engraver either living or dead, that has not incorporated patterns or styles lifted off of work done before them.

CZ, I don't think your link sets legal limits like your music example. The engraver that was 'copied' chimed in and didn't test the work in court. Apparently the copier signed the work so there was no mistaking that it came from the famous engraver. It was mentioned that copying does not have artistic value, but there was a customer that did not want to pay for artistic creativity.

I think the intent of the link you offered was so that the original engravers would continue to participate on the forum. I think the original engraver could if they wanted to try a copyright law suit, and rightfully so. Do you think it would be successful.

What do I think?
I accept that what I think is irrelevant.

On Good Friday, I believe that copying someone else' work without credit, or payment is a sin. Secular folks would say it's only a crime if we deem it so. Knowing that the cost of perfection is beyond the means (time and $) of most artists.
Having seen laser tracing engravers, I also know that the time is soon that someone's artistic miracle will adorn something by the thousands.

Repairs, meh. But let's say you scratch a bird or elephant or something, never done before. It should not be free to whomever has an oily burning rag and a roll of cello tape.

What a bizarre outcome to this thread. The OP starts off by asking everyone's opinion on a specific topic, and admits to thinking of copying the engraving of an existing gun for the upgrading of another. Then once people start giving their opinions (like he asked for) he quickly turns into one of the biggest opponents of not doing the very thing he said he was thinking of doing! Then says that his opinion is irrelevant even though he wants everyone else's. How convenient.

CZ what does your bible say about deceiving people (i.e. lying) to people just so you can go on the rant you obviously had planned when starting this thread? I think it says something about casting a stone or something like that...

Have a nice Easter

very entertaining.