Plans

[Anonymous]

Am considering using a plan/project from a magazine to produce an item for retail sale. Are these copyrighted ? Will I have to ask for permission etc.
Have never heard anything on this subject.

Curious Koolwabbit

 

[mr]

Depends on the magazine I think, Im pretty sure I read in F&C, for example, that the plans they print are copyright of the individual maker who provides them to the magazine.
Mike

 

[SketchUp Guru]

I've seen this topic covered in one of the woodworking magazines here in the US before. The gist of what I read is that yes, the plans are copyrighted. The publisher effectively grants rights for the construction of one or maybe a couple of the project from the plans. They wouldn't be thrilled if you were making the item commercially.

On the other hand it might be similar to boat plans. It is possible to circumvent plan copyrights for boats by making some small change to the design which then makes it a new boat design. At least there is a precedent for that here in the US.

If I were in your position, I would first contact the publisher and find out what their position is regarding this. I think it makes sense to ask the folks who know.

 

[engineer one]

certainly when you look at the plans in most of the american magazines
you will see a sign that says either can be reproduced for personal use,
or sometimes i have seen that they are free.

copyright is a whole strange games, since some museums try to
claim it on items they have only recently come in the possession of.

in general the copyright is with the designer, who may or may not
devolve it to the magazine depending upon the contract.

what you can do is modify, and then you should be safe.

paul :wink:

 

[mr]

I believe you will find that it is a myth that you can skirt around copyright issues by incorporating modifications into your "version" (at least in the UK).
ACID (design trade association) say;
"Broadly speaking, the test for whether or not something is an infringement is whether or not it is substantially similar to the original in terms of the important elements of the design. This cannot be measured in percentages and formulae. It can be assessed, however, by someone who knows the law and who can apply it to the facts in each individual case."
The only way to be safe is to enquire of the magazine and find out what they will allow, you may even find this printed in the magazine itself. Otherwise contact a lawyer though I imagine any lawyer would first contact the magazine in an attempt to discover the answer.
Cheers Mike .

 

[neilc]

This question was asked on the NYW site quite some time ago. I know your asking about mags, but this is their answer.
Neil