On Sun 28 Nov 1999 (08:31:30), [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > What should be done in this situation so that everybody wins and is > happy with the outcome? Have any of you been faced with this > situation, and what did you do to resolve it?
I am not sure whether there are USA equivalents, but in the United Kingdom the ideal thing to go for is a "Design Right" - covering the basic CONCEPT but leaving others to make their own individual 'aesthetic interpretation' and for which they pay a 'Royalty' to the holder of the "Design Right", in return for being granted the 'Manufacturing Licence' to produce any items. It is much easier (and cheaper!) than bothering with a Patent application. This is what we did with our "SunClock" (a 'variation' on the conventional analemmatic sundial, having separate Standard and Daylight-saving rings of Hour-markers and modified Date-scale - so as to better track the seasons). We produce personalized sets of Layout Plans (with all measurements unique to each customer), whilst allowing other people to produce their own 'kit' of component-parts - in a variety of different materials such as concrete, wood, stone, brick, metal, etc. Unless they enter into the 'Manufacturing Licence' agreement with us, we will not support their customers with a set of Layout Plans - so it will be pointless for them to try selling the kit. As such, it is a 'mutually-beneficial' arrangement - they make the 'locks' and we provide a customized 'key', if you see what I mean by this analogy. It also means that we benefit by any advertising done by the manufacturers of the components - since every time they sell one of their 'kits', we are guaranteed to get orders for Plans, without having to advertise ourselves. We thus profit twice - once from the Plans, and secondly from the Royalty. For customers who want to make their own layout (instead of purchasing any ready-made 'kit' of parts), then we will provide them with the Plans only. The sets of Plans are obviously automatically covered by 'Copyright', too. Douglas Hunt. -- "MODERN SUNCLOCKS" - 'Human Sundials', using YOUR OWN SHADOW to tell time. Looking for a useful self-funding Millennium-marker ? - you've found one ! For details, see Web-site at http://www.argonet.co.uk/education/sunclocks/ Mail Address: 1 Love Street, Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland, KA13 7LQ, UK. Tel & Fax (UK): 01294-552250. International Tel & Fax: + 44 1294 552250. E-mails to: "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" or "[EMAIL PROTECTED]"
