Inspiration, Copying, Giving Credit?

[JohnBarton]

Ray is so right here. What you're going for is is what we in marketing call "mindshare" http://en.wikipedia....wiki/Mind_share

John on your site you should have a section called "John Barton innovations" that talks about things you created.

If I was in the "pool cue game" I wood write a big glossy coffee table book with lots of great pictures, called something like "Art of the cue case". In the book I would take credit for my innovations and dole out credit to people that deserve it and exclude the copycat "hacks". I would have it published or self publish it. Then go on a book tour. Building a legend is hard work. Study up on "Nudie the rodeo tailor"and "Edward Bohlin, silver saddle maker." to see what I'm talking about.

If you want to get credit for something you have to take credit for it.No one is going to give it to you.

Good luck,

Steve

I think that this is a good idea. Too often these things are buried within a product description here and there or inside a discussion. A page highlighting them would do a couple things. One is that it would assign credit to me or our shop for the things that I believe we created first or significantly improved on. Two is that it would give people a place to see what it is I claim and use it as a reference to show me earlier examples or similar examples of the same technique. Three, it's also a place to GIVE credit for the things we took from others and point people in their direction. And four it's a platform to discuss the art of cue case making as a subset of case making in general.

I am not trying to build a legend but I'd like to preserve a little bit of what's ours because we do work hard at doing things differently. If I wanted to think of it as purely financial then one could equate reputation with money and say that the better rep a person/business has then more business they are likely to get. Of course that's theory and the real reason here is simply to take credit where none is given. In today's world people are apt to take really fast because it's so easy to see some pictures on the net of something someone else did and duplicate that item without a second thought as to the work the other person put into developing it.

Especially with the Internet. Even if you tries to keep your work off the net there will always be others who want to show it and highlight it (hopefully, right?).

So my philosophy here is take credit and share sources and discuss and let the readers do their own research. If I do it this way at least I don't have to worry about someone coming across my site second and thinking I copied the person they found first.

[JohnBarton]

I do know how you feel on this topic.

A few weeks ago I saw one of my designs made by someone else who is on this forum. It was a practical utility design which I have been using and carrying for years.

Now to see someone else making it, And I freely admit his version is nicer and uses better leather is kinda cool it also makes me paranoid that all my stuff is going to get stolen. And some of my designs I do spend like yourself a long long time on, weeks sometimes. So that annoys me a little.

But I can also believe that someone else also came up with this design on their own, and have another person make it. I have no proof that his was done before mine, and when I realise that I have to simply say kudos to the man.

It's my idea but if people like it then they like it. Good for me, a little better for the person who made it for someone else and better for everyone who can share in the delight of using it.

I kind of hope and expect people to use what I show them on this site. It's sort of a validation that I am doing something right. I do hope that whoever does it would give me some credit though if they take something they saw me do first.

I don't consider it stealing when you give your ideas away. And when I see things on this site I consider them as shared with the idea that any of us can try the things done by others. Now, this isn't to say that any of us should go and copy someone's products verbatim and start a business selling "knockoffs" of what we see here.

I am specifically talking about taking someone's idea and seeing what you can do with it, can you do it as well, better? In that sense we are all here to learn and teach.

I know that I am better off having a community like this here to talk about the craft. I think it's polite to give credit if you try something you get from someone else and then show it off here.

Stealing to me would be be something like if I went and copied Bearman's mauls and put them up for sale. I have seen a few folks make their own based on his design and to me that's perfectly fine and in the spirit of the community.

Well anyway, I think that most everyone kind of "knows" what is right and wrong along these lines.

[TwinOaks]

The only way to keep anyone from stealing your design ideas is to have an extremely limited market, or not sell at all. That would take us back to the bad ol' days when leatherworkers wouldn't share info. Who wants to go back to that????

I understand the import of your thread, and agree with you. So far, the "JB cue case innovations" page on your website sounds like the best idea. Put it up for EVERYONE TO SEE...maybe even copy. As long as you are the one showing everyone what it is, it should become pretty common knowledge that you were the inventor.

[JohnBarton]

The only way to keep anyone from stealing your design ideas is to have an extremely limited market, or not sell at all. That would take us back to the bad ol' days when leatherworkers wouldn't share info. Who wants to go back to that????

I understand the import of your thread, and agree with you. So far, the "JB cue case innovations" page on your website sounds like the best idea. Put it up for EVERYONE TO SEE...maybe even copy. As long as you are the one showing everyone what it is, it should become pretty common knowledge that you were the inventor.

Live by the sword die by the sword. If you want the power of the net to get business then you have to contend with the fact that your competitors can use your pictures and descriptions to copy you.

I too think that the JB Innovations page is the best idea.

Now I am afraid that when I get around to listing them they may not seem quite as "important" as my ego wants me to believe. :-)

[JohnBarton]

Well, it's a fitting end to this thread that I came across this today while browsing some of the links on the LW homepage.

It's from this great site: A Sailor's Leather

He did the same thing I did - butt two ends together - do a simple criss-cross lace AND blend the strap holder into the seam. :-) Nothing new under the sun when it comes to leather working.

Check out the website - Opel Mok is a pretty prolific leather worker with a LOT of interesting stuff and a killer collection of self-made tools. And he gives credit for where he got his ideas!

So, with that I am done with this ego-trip, time to get back home and make something. Thanks again everyone for the discussion.

P.S. In case anyone is interested I skived the leather so that the two ends interlock and the seam line is not actually two pieces end to end but instead is two pieces overlapping so that the leather will lay down over the curve on the side of the plastic tube.