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Re: [Amps] Heath copyright

To: amps@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [Amps] Heath copyright
From: Roger <sub1@rogerhalstead.com>
Date: Fri, 21 May 2010 18:04:53 -0400
List-post: <amps@contesting.com">mailto:amps@contesting.com>

On 5/21/2010 11:48 AM, Cecil Acuff wrote:
> I think we should copyright this thread...so maybe it won't be duplicated
> again....:-)
>    
Yah think that'd work? <:-)) I think it has a life of its own.

73

Roger (K8RI)
> Cecil
> K5DL
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Sam Carpenter"<sam@owenscommunication.com>
> To: "'k7fm'"<k7fm@teleport.com>;<amps@contesting.com>
> Sent: Friday, May 21, 2010 10:16 AM
> Subject: Re: [Amps] Heath copyright
>
>
>    
>> Well said. The lack of these protections would stifle innovation,
>> creativity, and problem solving. There must be a Carrot.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: amps-bounces@contesting.com [mailto:amps-bounces@contesting.com] On
>> Behalf Of k7fm
>> Sent: Friday, May 21, 2010 10:45 AM
>> To: amps@contesting.com
>> Subject: Re: [Amps] Heath copyright
>>
>> I think we have worn out the copyright issue, but I have one comment.
>>
>> A copyright is a grant to the creator by the government to protect the
>> effort of the creation.  It is no different than the government allowing
>> the
>>
>> finder of a gold mine to patent the claim.  So, a miner uses his effort to
>> find a gold mine.  Finally, after years of searching, he hits it big.  He
>> patents the claim and then owns it outright and can pass the wealth he
>> created to his children.  No one calls the miner a cheat, or the
>> government
>> a cheat for protecting the miner.
>>
>> Well, instead of mining, George Gershwin sat down and wrote "Rhapsody in
>> Blue".  That was his gold mine and the government granted him the right to
>> protect it and pass the royalties of it to his children.  I am assuming
>> few
>> people have a problem with that.  United Air Lines purchased the rights to
>> use it many years ago.  So, this same rule applies to any copyright.  It
>> makes no difference whether the copyright is owned by a company (Disney)
>> or
>> and individual.  It is a right to protect the genius and work-product of
>> the
>>
>> creator.
>>
>> In the case of Heath, when they sold the product, they had a contract with
>> the purchaser.  In addition to the kit, they furnished a nice detailed
>> manual and provided support for a number of years.  They fulfilled their
>> obligation to the purchaser.  That was 40 or 50 years ago.  Things changed
>> and Heath no longer sells electronic kits.  They are still a viable
>> company
>> and sold one of their assets - the copyright to many of their manuals.
>> They
>>
>> had long ago fulfilled their obligation to the original purchaser.
>>
>> What some hams have argued is that Heath had an obligation to provide the
>> manuals forever to anyone who wanted them - they did not even restrict the
>> argument to the original purchaser.  How many of you, when you purchased
>> your last car, insisted that a workshop manual be supplied?  How many of
>> you
>>
>> believe that when you buy a car an entire workshop manual should be
>> supplied
>>
>> online?
>>
>> If you think you have life tough, think about antique aircraft restorers.
>> If it is a certified aircraft, the owner can make a part - but he cannot
>> simply replicate a part based upon the existing part which is being
>> replaced.  Nope.  That is not legal.  He must buy a copy of the original
>> blueprint, then make a copy from the blueprints, which can then be a
>> certified part.  My 1973 aircraft needed repair and the factory in Germany
>> said to send the part over so it could be repaired at the factory.  Except
>> the part was the fuselage frame.  They have no workshop manual available.
>> No blueprints.  Nothing.  I repaired it, but had to go through a lot of
>> hoops to get it back in the air.  Ha, I wish I could have purchased a nice
>> manual for it.
>>
>> And, as for rip offs.  I bought a non-working digital signal generator at
>> a
>> swap meet for $25.  I then found the company was still in business and
>> called them to get a manual for it.  The lady said they had no manuals but
>> did have photocopies.  I asked her if she could send me the photocopy and
>> bill me.  She then told me the price of $520 for the photocopy.  I choked
>> and ungracefully declined the purchase.  The company is a military
>> supplier.
>>
>> The bizarre thing is that the manual was already in the public domain
>> because it was a military contract.  I found a ham willing to copy a
>> slightly different model and got mine going again.  Now, that was a
>> rip-off.
>>
>> So, I have no problem with having to buy a Heath manual.  Just hum a few
>> bars of Rhapsody in Blue and be happy.
>>
>> 73,  Colin  K7FM
>>
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