Quote:
Originally Posted by Catscradle  The problem is that so many of us who would not touch a stolen design do not know the world of cues well enough to recognize them when we see them. |
This is also the first thing that came to my mind.
I like cues, but I am far from an expert or a historian. How am I supposed to know that a cue maker is stealing designs from other cue makers? I don't want to support these guys, but how am I supposed to know?
Even when designing a cue myself, with a cue maker, I just put together things that I like. I have no clue if the elements have been combined in the same way before. I could be copying a design without knowing it. I see things I like and put them together in a way that I have never seen before, but that does not insure that they have never been done that way before. Am I unknowingly stealing?
Also, just where does design theft begin?
Basically, anyone building a four point cue is stealing from whoever built the first one. The same can be said for five point, six point and eight point cues, as well as many other design elements, like veneers, basic inlays, etc. When is it theft and when is it ok?
Are there any good answers to these questions or are we all at risk of being accussed of design theft?