While illegality may be defined by the strict letter, damages are not. Damages by copyright infringement are determined mostly by loss or decrease in revenues. When a copyright holder no longer is selling or servicing, you might be infringing on copyright but not imflicting harm as defined by the copyright statutes.
There are many instances in the world of aviation where the good of the community overrides strict compliance with the law such that the moral thing to do may not equate to the lagal thing. Consider the loss of designs where the copyright owners are deceased or cannot be found. In those situations you have to ask who is being harmed by the reproduction of such designs while breaking the law. As with most things, common sense is required. Hundreds if not thousands of avaition designs are now lost because of the copyright issues and it is tragic. It is sickening to look through 20, 30 and 40 year old magazines and see how many great little planes have disappeared along with the hard earned knowledge of their designers. For instance about ten years ago ( before the old and long time librarian retired )I inquired at the EAA and they had sixty sets of blueprints for designs that had been donated that were restriced to mere looking at without any kind of copying taking place. The restrictions were not limited to copyright but also the new lawyers fear that if you built a plane from the knowledge obtained they feared liability. What the heck is the EAA all about anyway ? Scott Tony King wrote: > I can sympathise with Mike in one aspect - trying to do business with RR is > very frustrating. I tried for several months with faxes, phone calls, etc. > and never got any response. In the end I gave up and some time later I > bought a set of KR2S plans from a KRNet member who was selling his (genuine > and unused) set. > > However, whether or not the plans are readily available from RR isn't > actually relevant. They're the intellectual property of RR and RR can > choose to do whatever they want with them - including never selling them to > anyone. That still doesn't make it legal for anyone else to violate the > copyright. It's the same thing as if you refuse to sell me your car so I go > and take it. You have no obligation to sell me your car and RR has no > obligation to sell KR plans. If they decide to provide lousy service (which > was my experience), they're perfectly within their rights and if you or I > don't like that we are under no obligation to deal with them. If that means > you then can't build a KR, that's the way it is. It's not an excuse for > ripping them off. > > Tony King > Brisbane Australia > > 2009/5/26 Scott Perkins <2sc...@bellsouth.net> > > > The question I have not seen answered is whether the KR-1 plans > > are available from the RAND company and if so how much and how long > > does it take and what kind of condition are they in. IE such as > > complete, hi quality, accurate etc. > > Scott > > > > sidney.w...@l-3com.com wrote: > > > > > > >...is someone trying to down load plans without buying them or > > > something. If so I agree with you I have had my plans sence 1974... > > > ------------------------- > > > > > > My reading from the Copyright Office website indicates the KR plans > > > copyright may expire on December 31, 2047. > > > http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap3.html > > > Copies of the plans sets were sold prior to 1978 and would be considered > > > as commercialized intellectual property with a repose of 70 years from > > > January 1, 1978. Rand Robinson Engineering would be the legal owner of > > > that intellectual property. > > > The previous assertion by Mike, that the KR series plans are in the > > > public domain, is wishful thinking on his part. > > > > > > Sid Wood > > > Tri-gear KR-2 N6242 > > > Mechanicsville, MD, USA > > > > > > _______________________________________ > > > Search the KRnet Archives at http://www.maddyhome.com/krsrch/index.jsp > > > to UNsubscribe from KRnet, send a message to krnet-le...@mylist.net > > > please see other KRnet info at http://www.krnet.org/info.html > > > > > > -- > > > Internal Virus Database is out-of-date. > > > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > > > Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.19.18/1254 - Release Date: 1/31/08 > > 8:30 PM > > > > _______________________________________ > > Search the KRnet Archives at http://www.maddyhome.com/krsrch/index.jsp > > to UNsubscribe from KRnet, send a message to krnet-le...@mylist.net > > please see other KRnet info at http://www.krnet.org/info.html > > > _______________________________________ > Search the KRnet Archives at http://www.maddyhome.com/krsrch/index.jsp > to UNsubscribe from KRnet, send a message to krnet-le...@mylist.net > please see other KRnet info at http://www.krnet.org/info.html > > -- > Internal Virus Database is out-of-date. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.19.18/1254 - Release Date: 1/31/08 > 8:30 PM
