[Rhodes22-list] Trailer Measurements

[Herb Parsons]

I understand the issue of itellectual properties; however, I was referring to bunk measurements and placements I had seen here on the list. I liken it more to giving out the measurements of the sail. Now, if I were asking for the exact parts of everything on the trailer, and all of the information on exactly how it was put together, etc etc, I might agree.

>>> Bill Effros<bill at effros.com> 7/26/2004 11:31:22 AM >>>
Herb,

I'm an author who earns a living off my intellectual property.  I think it's wrong for people to buy what I've written, make a copy, and send the copy to their friends without paying me for my work.

Stan spent a lot of time and money developing these trailers.  Anyone can look at them, say "that's a good idea" and copy the concept, and modify their own trailer, or have someone else build one--to their own specifications.

But to ask people on the list to measure the trailers they have bought from Stan, and to send you the measurements, so you can build your own trailer, or teach someone else how to build these trailers, without paying Stan for his intellectual property, is wrong, in my view.

I'm sure that is not what you were thinking when you asked the question, and I do not think badly of you for asking it.  This has come up many times before, and I only sometimes respond in this way.

But I do think it's wrong, and I haven't said anything about it for a while.

By the way,  there have been people who extended your idea of "send me the trailer measurements," to "why not copy and sell the whole boat"--let me borrow your boat, I'll make molds from it, we'll make our own exact copies of the boat, we'll sell them and split the profit--if we don't have to pay anything for R&D we can easily sell them for less than Stan can sell them for.

Essentially that's what you're trying to do in the trailer department, in my view.

Bill Effros