Comments on: nevermind that pesky little copyright thing http://blog.mittenartworks.com/nevermind-that-pesky-little-copyright-thing mitten muses, rants and raves about life, the internet, web design and art Wed, 19 May 2010 15:15:32 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Annie Boccio http://blog.mittenartworks.com/nevermind-that-pesky-little-copyright-thing/comment-page-1#comment-750 Annie Boccio Mon, 29 Oct 2007 18:23:27 +0000 http://blog.mittenartworks.com/nevermind-that-pesky-little-copyright-thing#comment-750 I ask all my clients to go forth and find websites they like. It makes it easier for both of us. But imitating page styles and elements isn't in the same category as blatantly copying another site's look. Take a look at a bunch of web 2.0 logos, all shiny and mirrored, lower case, missing vowels. Are they stealing from each other or just influenced? It can be a blurry line sometimes. Hopefully most designers can tell the difference, but Godin is talking to inexperienced non-designers and I agree, the line about "getting busted" seems to mean he's speaking of plopping your own logo on someone else's design. Maybe it's just a case of his point not being clear enough, but then I'm not really seeing how the example of fair-use of an Apple image connects with this discussion, either. I ask all my clients to go forth and find websites they like. It makes it easier for both of us. But imitating page styles and elements isn’t in the same category as blatantly copying another site’s look. Take a look at a bunch of web 2.0 logos, all shiny and mirrored, lower case, missing vowels. Are they stealing from each other or just influenced? It can be a blurry line sometimes. Hopefully most designers can tell the difference, but Godin is talking to inexperienced non-designers and I agree, the line about “getting busted” seems to mean he’s speaking of plopping your own logo on someone else’s design. Maybe it’s just a case of his point not being clear enough, but then I’m not really seeing how the example of fair-use of an Apple image connects with this discussion, either.

]]> By: Seth Godin http://blog.mittenartworks.com/nevermind-that-pesky-little-copyright-thing/comment-page-1#comment-749 Seth Godin Mon, 29 Oct 2007 17:27:31 +0000 http://blog.mittenartworks.com/nevermind-that-pesky-little-copyright-thing#comment-749 Thanks for reading, Laura. While I'm not a lawyer, I actually do know a fair amount about copyright law. I know, for example, that even though you have a picture of an Apple ad at the top of your site, it's not stealing, it's fair use. Design has a long long history of being inspired by great design of the past. You didn't invent the four column grid of this blog, but you were inspired by it and use it very well. That was my point. No doubt, some people will get really carried away and foolishly copy a site completely. That wasn't my goal. I think most people figured out that I meant you ought to be inspired, to use elements like font choice and white space and grid design to build your own thing. Your caveat is welcome... go too far and you've gone too far! Thanks for reading, Laura.

While I’m not a lawyer, I actually do know a fair amount about copyright law. I know, for example, that even though you have a picture of an Apple ad at the top of your site, it’s not stealing, it’s fair use.

Design has a long long history of being inspired by great design of the past. You didn’t invent the four column grid of this blog, but you were inspired by it and use it very well.

That was my point. No doubt, some people will get really carried away and foolishly copy a site completely. That wasn’t my goal. I think most people figured out that I meant you ought to be inspired, to use elements like font choice and white space and grid design to build your own thing.

Your caveat is welcome… go too far and you’ve gone too far!

]]> By: Brian Kerr | links for 2007-10-18 http://blog.mittenartworks.com/nevermind-that-pesky-little-copyright-thing/comment-page-1#comment-721 Brian Kerr | links for 2007-10-18 Thu, 18 Oct 2007 04:24:40 +0000 http://blog.mittenartworks.com/nevermind-that-pesky-little-copyright-thing#comment-721 [...] mitten | nevermind that pesky little copyright thing (tags: seth-godin lousy advisement copy-exactly great-artists-ship great-artists-steal great-artists-shit) [...] [...] mitten | nevermind that pesky little copyright thing (tags: seth-godin lousy advisement copy-exactly great-artists-ship great-artists-steal great-artists-shit) [...]

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