BOOK OF ANTIQUE AND UNUSUAL WRENCHES BY SCHULZ'S

[rustcollector]

. I don't know what kind of copyright issues you would run into.

DISCLAIMER: The post you are about to read may make some people mad. Tough.








I would hope it would be enough where they could never get out of debt from paying all the fines and legal fees they should incur by stealing from people that put their heart and soul into making such great books that we can all turn to when needed. Makes me sick to my stomach to think that people have no problem stealing from other people's efforts. You want the book, pony up and buy an original, can't afford it? Then you don't need it that bad.

[Papaw]

Copyright laws should protect people who made such efforts to chronicle any subject, and even well-meaning people who might copy their work might be cautioned to avoid violating copyright law.

[mvwcnews]

I am kind of surprised that no one has taken David Maher's approach to the problem. How hard would it be to scan these out of print books and put them on a cd. I don't know what kind of copyright issues you would run into. It would seem like they would fetch a decent price, like Dave's, but it seems wrong to have more money invested in reference books than in wrenches.

Several years ago an Australian individual asked for permission to "digitize" "Antique & Unusual Wrenches" in exactly that way -- I believe the conversion was to .pdf (or possibly .jpg ).  That individual wanted to do something financially in recognition and I suggested a donation to the Parkinson's Disease Foundation as that is what dad died from.  I have no further information about how widely that electronic copy was shared.

[johnsironsanctuary]

Rustcollector,  Sorry if I ruffled your feathers.  That was not my intent. I neither condone nor encourage copyright theft.  It's just wrong. If you copy these old books to sell, you need to track down the families that have the copyrights and work with them. Most will probably be reasonable and glad to see grandpaw's work preserved.

Stan, did your dad really go through the legal expense of hiring a lawyer, doing a copyright search and filing copyright papers? How many copies do you think were printed in total?

[rustcollector]

Rustcollector,  Sorry if I ruffled your feathers.  That was not my intent.

No, I hope you got my pm that my post wasn't aimed at you personally either.

To a large extent, the thrill of collecting is finding "the deal". Be it a wrench, a book on wrenches or whatever. If everything was readily available, where is the fun of finding it? I have Stan's parents' book, the thrill was finding it, Cope's book, a book on horsedrawn plows and a couple others in a lot at an auction and only having to pay $20 for all of it. If I had been a collector when they printed these books, I would have probably bought them then. Such as Rathbone's books.

I do disagree with you on spending on books instead of wrenches though. Not that you are wrong with your belief, just that I feel having reference material and other stuff to look at is as important as any wrench I own. I've worn out my Rathbone Vol. 1 hardcover and vol. 2 supplement looking at them so much. I probably wouldn't pay it, but Pete's books are worth hundreds to me in being able to find out what that $1 wrench I bought is. Although, more often than not that's just what it is, a $1 wrench...lol.  The thing I'd really like to find is boxes full of Farm implement news from the 1800's and early 1900's. Sure, you can look at most on a computer screen, but having them to physically look at would be so much easier to me. But I like to read and stare at pictures anyway.

[mvwcnews]

...
Stan, did your dad really go through the legal expense of hiring a lawyer, doing a copyright search and filing copyright papers? How many copies do you think were printed in total?

No copyright deposit copies were sent to the Library of Congress, no formal filing -- just the notice on the work.  So if it were challenged legally the claim possibly would not hold up in court.  (As an aside, we claim copyright for the MVWC Newsletter but do not send deposit copies or register them with the Library of Congress either. )
 As to number of copies I'm not sure but I think in the neighborhood of 3,000  total -- I know I picked up a couple of batches of 700 copies each after dad was no longer physically able  -- they had the books  printed at Service Press in Henderson, NE which is 13 miles WSW of York. 

[Chillylulu]

A copyright search and filing papers is not necessary to enforce a copyright.  You can put (c) copyright and date anything you created and it is validly copyrighted.  Intellectual property is still property. The only hard part is that you have to prove that it was yours first.

I have software, designs, and other writings that I have copyrighted.  All you need to prove copyright is proof that you wrote, designed, or published it first. It's nice to have published dated material, but not always necessary. 

I have copyrighted material out there that I hsve seen others use.  It made me feel good, as in the copyright notice I allowed the use if credit was given and notice maintained.  In particular I saw a specialized q=1.85 semi-log graph I had made in Autocad used somewhere else.

I have seen others use my logos or titleblocks without permission.  I called them immediately and made them stop.  I also let them know how much it would cost them if they wanted to buy rights to my intellectual property.

Heres the real funny thing- if you hire me to design a fire sprinkler system for you, you won't own the design.  You only get to use that design on that project. You can't copy it or re-use it without my permission.  All those custom homes out there and a lot of owners think they own the design because they paid for it - but it isn't the case.

Intellectual property is really weird - even if you write some program, or paint a painting, or invent something while on the clock for someone the person paying you may not even own the intellectual work that you created.  Best to get it all down in writing.

Oh, and it helps to have a family member who is a lawyer.

Chilly

[mvwcnews]

Update on prices realized -- the Schulz book brought $120.00 on the April 4th auction.  Mom was selling them for $14.00 postpaid before she called it quits.

[Carl Wagner]

My sister got me a copy yesterday at a local MO auction for $20. Whoop Whoop!

[Papaw]

$20. Whoop Whoop!

Indeed!

[stanley62]

Send her back to get me a copy too!!!  Nice score.

 Jim

[Plyerman]

That was a steal!

[bear_man]

Just an idea…:  A friend once copywrited some written material by paying the postage to a Post Office to clearly postmark (showing the date) three pages — title page plus two interior pages — over the handwriting.

[Chillylulu]

Just an idea…:  A friend once copywrited some written material by paying the postage to a Post Office to clearly postmark (showing the date) three pages — title page plus two interior pages — over the handwriting.

Thats an old wives tale or urban legend he was following.

People would mail themselves a manuscript, expecting to use the postmark to establish a created date. Problem is verifying what was in the envelope. 

The internet is a double edged sword, establishing a date is easy, but it is so much easier to steal off the net.

[bear_man]

Having the postmark applied over some of the writing verifies that writing.  And on three different pages…