Garden Railway Forum

I agree they are a great improvement, I'm also surprised at how much texture you were able to achieve on your cast ones seeing them up close. As Peter has said running around the layout they will look very believable I think.
Grant.

Now here's something to ponder. I posted something about the sheep on the 16mm NGM Assoc Facebook Group and someone has responded that what I've done is unethical and possibly illegal. Because I have cloned a commercial product, I have deprived the originator of income even though I am not intending to sell them.

Any thoughts?

Rik

Plead insanity ?

Rik, tell them to 'do one'.

My rationale (for what it's worth) is this. Say I bought a commercially produced loco and thought, "Hey, that's good, I wonder if I can make one exactly like it?" and then proceeded to copy it. I might be accused of plagiarism, but is it unethical? Not really, surely.

I suppose, using a commercial product as a master in a mould is a bit different, so how about if I compare the six sheep I bought to the songs on a cd? I pay for the cd which is my contribution to the artiste's talent. I then rip the tracks off the cd and put them on my MP3 player. I've cloned them, not for commercial gain, but for my own use. That seems to be regarded as ok these days. In effect, I have paid the originator of the sheep for his skill and talent and then 'ripped' them for my own convenience. I haven't denied the originator what he has decided to charge people for his skills. I've paid him his due. In fact, more than his due as I bought three sets before cloning them.

Surely, as long as I don't then sell them on, or I haven't borrowed someone else's to make casts from them, I am both legally and ethically ok.

Rik

You are not planning to sell them so I don't see an issue.

tom_tom_go wrote: Thu Mar 19, 2020 5:30 pm You are not planning to sell them so I don't see an issue.

My thinking as well. When I was running RC Trains, if someone had cloned my transmitters or wiring looms for their own use, I'd have said, "Good luck to you!" It would have been different if they'd then sold them, especially if they'd undercut my prices.

Rik

As a Post Scriptum

We've just decided to circulate a list of the 300+ DVDs we own amongst our friends and neighbours with a view to loaning them out when they are confined to their homes in the current 'situation' ......

Presumably, this is completely unethical and could constitute a crime under copyright legislation.....

Rik

As long as you retain ownership of the CD's I don't see a problem with lending them to anyone you wish, as long as there is no payment involved.

As for the sheep, I doubt that anyone would or could confuse my(our) sheep blocks, nor dare I say it, your plaster versions, with the individual originals.

I'd be tempted to invite the jobsworth who commented, to get a life!

It's not even worthy of a comment I'am afraid. Facebook....PAH...

I don't go on that much nowadays, since someone swore at me and the admin did nothing about it.
There are good people on there, but unfortunately there are a lot of idiots....

ge_rik wrote: Thu Mar 19, 2020 3:39 pm Now here's something to ponder. I posted something about the sheep on the 16mm NGM Assoc Facebook Group and someone has responded that what I've done is unethical and possibly illegal. Because I have cloned a commercial product, I have deprived the originator of income even though I am not intending to sell them.

Any thoughts?

Rik

Small spherical objects. They aren't an exact copy and sheeps is sheep.

Lonsdaler wrote: Mon Mar 23, 2020 5:53 pm

Small spherical objects. They aren't an exact copy and sheeps is sheep.

I couldn't agree more. It would take an expert to recognise one sheep from another (but lets not get diverted onto that topic! )

Andrew

Soar Valley Light wrote: Tue Mar 24, 2020 7:35 pm It would take an expert to recognise one sheep from another (but lets not get diverted onto that topic! )
Andrew

Rik