wp8thsub A statement of policy against posting of copyrighted material does not necessarily absolve the host of responsibility. If the host knows, or reasonably should know, of a violation and continues to keep such material accessible through its forum, there could be trouble. The OP has indicated he is unaware of any copyright problems that could arise from his signs, which is good. I have had this thread saved in my favorites for some time, so I hope it stays as well.
A statement of policy against posting of copyrighted material does not necessarily absolve the host of responsibility. If the host knows, or reasonably should know, of a violation and continues to keep such material accessible through its forum, there could be trouble.
The OP has indicated he is unaware of any copyright problems that could arise from his signs, which is good. I have had this thread saved in my favorites for some time, so I hope it stays as well.
Rob, with all due respect, your reply leaves a lot open to question.
Just because the OP is unaware of any copyright problems does not necessarily mean that there are no copyright problems.
If Kalmbach has any concern over possible copyright violations, then it should remove the offending thread.
So, to hope that this thread survives in the face of all of this controversy may be wishful thinking.
Rich
Alton Junction
The real question here is what are the rules when it comes to copyright of advertising. An internet search turned up the following:
Copyright laws for print advertising cover the use of company logos and original images. This allows companies to protect brands while encouraging them to incorporate new styles and original works into advertising campaigns. Copyright protection is not granted to the language used in advertisements, meaning companies cannot usually copyright an entire print ad as an original creative work.
Copyright law in the United States does not extend intellectual property protection to an advertising slogan or other short catchphrase. Your business is also prevented from copyrighting its name, according to the U.S. Copyright Office's website. You can trademark your business name in the style in which it is depicted through an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. You may also trademark a signature phrase or slogan from an advertising campaign.
Copyright law prevents another person or business from appropriating your intellectual property for profit without your express written permission. Without this permission, you retain sole rights to profit from the sale of your original work and create derivative creations based on your work. For example, if another business were to appropriate the original logo of your business without your permission, you would have grounds to sue for copyright infringement. Infringement occurs because the offending business is attempting to profit from the value and consumer loyalty associated with your business's logo.
So what does this all mean?
A: Most advertising and company logos are not protected by copyright. Logos and catch phrases may be trademarked however.
B: Copyright law may come into play in the event a business is using the intellectual property of another company for PROFIT. Think the whole Union Pacific Logo debacle. Hobby companies were using the logo to sell their own products, and thats where the issue lay. Otherwise Pelle Soeberg should have gotten a cease and desist order a long time ago!
Think about it folks. . .this is ADVERTISING! Companies want you to recognize and purchase their product. Why on earth would any company want to stop that advertising from being seen as much as posible?
Tomkat, I don't think you have crossed any lines. I look at it this way, this thread has been up for years. Don't you think Kalmbach would have gotten a phone call by now if there was a problem?
It is too bad that we live in such an over litigated society. We are hobbyist. We do this for our ENJOYMENT not for PROFIT!
Nothing to see here folks. Move along, move along. . .
Chris Ballinger
Modeling the Clementon Branch of the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines in HO scale
PRSL6006 Nothing to see here folks. Move along, move along. . .
I think we had until you bumped this thread to the top once again.
richhotrain PRSL6006 Nothing to see here folks. Move along, move along. . . I think we had until you bumped this thread to the top once again.
Really? I ask because the last reply prior to my post was yours, and it was only a little over 24 hours old. I consider the topic still relavent as well as unresolved.
Further, you yourself said that one should be familiar with copyright law, so I took the time to do so. Come to find out that this isn't even a copyright issue because it is advertising, so I posted my findings in the hope that A) this archive survives and continues to grow, and B) to give Tomkat some peace of mind that no law has been violated.
Stones are being thrown, and no one seemed to want to find out if there was even a problem to begin with. I did want to know. I did the needed footwork. I have an answer, and I posted so that the prosecution of the OP over this issue would cease.
Sorry for the tone of this post, but where I come from one finds out if the problem is even valid before one starts pointing fingers.
Chris, I was referring to your "Nothing to see here folks. Move along" comment.
I took that to mean that we were belaboring the point when there was nothing left to say.
You seemed to be assuming the role of forum cop, thus my comment.
Rich,
I get your point. The move along thing is something my father used to say when things were being blown out of proportion. I did not mean for it to sound like my post should be the end of the discussion.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion. It just bothers me when that opinion is based more on speculation, and less on easily obtainable information. And that seemed to be the case here.
My apologies.
I want to thank everyone's imput. I think that there are enough signs here for everyone & I plan not to add anymore to be on the safe side. It is now in the hands of MR forum. I was glad to share with the members of this forum & plan to spend more time on my own modeling. I do realy enjoy this hobby & all I have met in the last 30+ years. tkat
Isn't it odd that the original claim of infringement has been removed from the thread?
Was it a hoax?
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
Phoebe Vet Isn't it odd that the original claim of infringement has been removed from the thread? Was it a hoax?
PV,
What are you referring to?
It was on a different thread. That thread been removed. It has nothing to do with this thread.
Refer to this thread for a discussion of the issue:
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/t/215433.aspx
I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.
I don't have a leg to stand on.
My mistake, I was following both threads.
The thread that was removed was on background buildings that I had started way back in spring of 2011. There was a copyright issue on some of the texture I used on the buildings from Clever Models. They had MR remove the Thread.
( http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/t/190349.aspx?PageIndex=1 )
From MR: "The forum user's façade drawings that you stated have used Clever Models "wall textures" such as brick and siding are no longer on our forum."
Hi Tomkat.
Thanks for all those ads. They were excellent and I'm using them. Thanks for thinking of us.
Good job!
Great service you have done for the hobby, Tomkat. I do hope you will continue.
Roy
Some great signage on this thread...AWESOME work . Much appreciated...thank you!
Happy Modeling!
Don.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that both engines have failed, and we will be stuck here for some time. The good news is that you decided to take the train and not fly."
Thank you all for enjoying the signs. This thread is open for others to post signs. Also I would like to see photos of these signs on your layout or in your modeling.
Good grief, Tom! I have never seen so many great signs in one place. As noted, the resolution is not enough for a good, sharp HO billboard sign on my layout. Of course, the files with the fewer signs are better.
Thanks so much for the time and effort.
Jerry
Jim Thorpe, PA (The Switzerland of America)
mr_class Good grief, Tom! I have never seen so many great signs in one place. As noted, the resolution is not enough for a good, sharp HO billboard sign on my layout. Of course, the files with the fewer signs are better. Thanks so much for the time and effort. Jerry Jim Thorpe, PA (The Switzerland of America)
They are, of course, at WEB resolution of about 96 dots per inch.
If you have reliable photo or printing applications this can be changed to the normal 300 dots per inch resolution required for printing on a printer or a printing press.
LION uses Serif PagePlus and/or PhotoPlus for this kind of work. LION swipes photos from the intenet all of the time, pastes them in a newsletter, and then changes the properties of the photo from 96 px/in to 300 dpi. It is so easy that I can do it even without thinking of it.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Roar,
Changing the dpi will not make a sharper image. Each of Tom's files is 72 dpi. I use Photoshop CS6 and I can make those files any size but they will still have the jaggies.
I have CS5. Jerry is absolutely correct. You cannot restore quality when you res them up, though I suppose you can use the text tool to replace the text.
Well......
Normally I *can* do this, but these for some reason do not lend themselves to this process. Other things that I download from the Internet will do this. these will not. The precision is just not there.
too bad...
I didn't mean to kill the thread. Sorry all.
I doubt the thread is that fragile.
I don't know about anyone else, but I don't use them to make billboards, I use them to make signs.
Here are some in a subway station.
Looks like the images work well for signs. My small HO layout has one billboard and no signs but I'll keep that in mind.
Did you make the newstand?
No, I bought two different news stands at my local hobby shop. I used one in each of two different subway stations. I did install a light in it.
When I copied the signs I pasted them in MS Publisher. Then I had to change the Publisher file to a JPG file then send it to photobucket then on to the MR Forum. Each step the file loses something. If you want better images just go to google images, ebay, or any auction site looking for signs then copy & paste into what ever desktop that you can resize for your scale. I just use MS Publisher but you could use MS word or any photo editing software. As you can see any of the photos I posted that signs make things more life-like on your layout. Please post photos if you use any signs so others can see how it makes scenes come alive.
Here are the signs that are asked for.
TOMKAT-13,
I would just like to say,Thank You,for posting that link,for the Photos..I really enjoy,looking at old photos,,especially,with the content,like those..Very interesting,,I immediately put them in my files..
Cheers,
Frank
Resolution may not be an issue for billboards, provided that they are several feet away from the viewer. An HO billboard 3 feet away from the viewer does not need to have good detail to be acceptable. What's the point in super-detailing scenes that the viewer can't see up close?
Great thread - I'm going to use some of these on my layout.
S&S
Modeling the Pennsy and loving it!