Case Mod - In Progress PLXTC [update: 110910 -the first LEDs]

I love plexi. I love the way this mod is executed! Such a pity You aren't winning in the MOTM. I voted for you... Interesting, the front PSU.

What is that smoked plexi pad at the bottom for?

 

Gotta admit it's a shame it caught few votes, but on the bright side Your getting covered by media & sponsorships which is very cool , it's a very unique & awesome case & very well done & look forward to seeing the completed piece m8's .

 

Hi I just thought I would post up here as I have had this brought to my attention.

Firstly may I say that I very much enjoyed how you designed the case... I loved your sketch on the video.. I mean and paper for a design like this.

And I note how you give me the lightest of credit for the work were "inspired with" and made your own.

But may I say that this is somewhat of a copyright violation of my design as it was due to go into production on an exclusive basis for my company.

I feel you may have been taking a little bit too much credit for the design and entering it as a concept you came up with.

I would like to redress this somewhat.

Firstly I would like an apology for not seeking some form of permission to reproduce this case in its entirety, using all its trademark design cues.





These drawings were produced in January 2010 somewhat well before your concept!

The original thread to which you noted is here
http://themodbrothers.com/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=1914&start=0

Concept video test here:


Concept production here...




The final case for the competition had to change slightly as I made it from scratch in 24hrs but the design you used was to go into production.

To the members I'm sorry this may sound somewhat annoyed I just hate to see people who are un-original and copy, or steal ideas.

Under the uk and international copyright law this design has been far too much of an infringement for me not to say something.

Especially as he is using it in competition, for promotion and endorsement and personal gain.

He is profiting from my ideas.

I am seeking further advise on this situation

 

Wow Chris, Im really sorry this happened to you, its a shame. I mean taking an idea or two and then making it something original of your own is one thing. But to take an entire design and changing up a part or 2 and say you came up with it on your own is another. Im a builder of many things, designing is something I love. But never have I used an idea and said "Hey I designed it" Yes Ill see something I like on someones build and think to myself that I can use that, but in the end Ill take that idea and change it up so it has the same concept but not be the same. Just a pitty for someone to do that to you. Well I hope it all works out. Great idea by the way. Cheers

 

The funny thing is that he actually built in the design flaws that were later worked out...

Still its a shame, i actually quite liked the one he didnt build that was on the laptop...

 

similar ????







~The final design~ built from scratch in 24 hours for the closing day

 

Wow this isn't cool & to think I really looked up to the choozen as modders & turns out it wasn't original, does this happen much in designing & modding (stupid question I guess), don't really know what to say other than thats a real crapper, it's one thing to be inspired by something & credit that fact but to completely copy something & it be winning prizes + a little fame etc well that just plain sucks for the original creator.

Even funnier & lamer if they built in the same design flaws which you since worked out lmao, but even though that fact is funny it's still definately not cool .

I'm interested to see what the choozen have to say about this.

 

For those after the response from the person in question.. here is the PM..

we seem to have a difference of opinion on what similarity means... i think..

i think what is not being understood here is that the concept.. no matter if a single bracket was altered slightly in shape or position was copied.

the tubualar spine, the way its suspended, the fact the case opens and how it opens were all of my doing, you have earnt money off the back of these ideas as they were unique and have diluted my idea. stopping me from expanding on it as my own concept. yes you may have used acrylic but i entered a cardboard case comp... i own an acrylic laser cutting company! i can produce 50 of these a week if i wanted... hell i can oget them made in any material i wanted including carbon fibre which was at a later date.

credit is one thing, but your the one holding the products from companies as a result of my research and time

 

Having silently worked in the background with Chris on numerous projects it is very disheartening to see our hard work completely ripped off. I rarely post on the forums regarding the works we have completed together but having been informed of what has happened I felt compelled to post something

Myself and Chris worked very hard to come up with a very individual case that had never been seen before.

@thechoozen - I hate to see your use of the word inspiration when the fact of the matter is that it is the design concept that you have stolen. Regardless of the number of minor changes you have made to the interior of the case and brackets or even the material.

If say BMW were to design a concept car and then Audi build it that would be classed as a breach of copyright... If Audi's argument was that they re-arranged various components in the vehicle and built it out of wood! it would still be deemed copyright theft as it is the CONCEPT that was stolen.

You say "But as you can see from our worklog we decided to change a lot of things during the building process starting with the material...." - Is it possible you had to change various parts as the one in our original designs had certain flaws that you initially copied only to discover for yourself.

The case was designed and entered into a CARDBOARD CASE COMPETITION of course you wouldn't use cardboard for a rig you would use as your daily driver!!! If it wasn't for the cardboard case competition then the case would of been designed out of acrylic, as it was due to be in the near future once other projects had been laid to rest.

The fact that you got sponsorship and free components for the rig is of great concern. Are the company's aware that this design concept is NOT your own and were they aware what complications it could bring sponsoring a design that is legally owned by someone else?

It is a sad day for custom designs/builds and forums like this as we will be less incline to share knowledge, information & be so open with the work that is done on future projects.

 

Sheeeeit, that's lower than a rats testicules in a sewer!!!!!​

 

Just one question: obviously apart from the moral and ethical arguments over copying - is it really a legally backed, trademarked design (if so, what's its name)? Or are you just claiming it to be because it was your idea?

 

+1


You are also criticizing him over receiving sponsored hardware for the build, you obviously haven't seen his previous projects, he deserves any hardware thrown his way, his acrylic work is next to none, regardless if the design isn't entirely his.

The Internet is an open forum that anyone can view. If you slapped licensing on everything every second project would be a breach of copyright. Take MurderMod for example, his sleeving technique is used on nearly every project in the past 18 months and earlier. If he patented that design many people would be in trouble but he is trying to further develop the field of PC modding by allowing others to use and adapt that technique.

The fact of the matter is that this design isn't yours, it is an altered version of yours, a slight change makes something different. It is wrong of him not to notify you that he was going to adapt off of your design but without a copy write or a patent in place he is free to use the design as he sees fit.

 

This. It's visually extremely close to the original design and concept, which has been credited, and the fact is it wasn't built out of Acrylic at first. You can't just claim a design and all its material iterations and variations as solely your own unfortunately. Otherwise bit-tech in-house modders from the very inception of the site would be VERY rich for inventing the 'acrylic case window' and 'LED fan'.

If it is a legally protected idea, then yes, you have more of a leg to stand on, but there are so many borrowed ideas out there where do you draw the line? Without an element of fair use, George Lucas would be on the phone demanding cash from all the people who made Star Wars inspired mods.

He maybe entering competitions with it, like so many modders, but he's also not commercialising it and attempting to copywrite the idea as his own as well.

Let me make it clear though I'm not personally in favour of this level of 'direct reproduction', I'm just trying to put it all in the bigger picture.

 

Under European law the design does not have to be registered. The designer has certain
rights even though his/her design is not formally registered. See here

 

Fantastic link!

OK, so if this becomes a commercial product for the originators, then thechoozen would be legally obliged not to enter it into competitions or other things that entitled him to personal gain. Until then, the design is fair use and public domain if the originators were willingly published all the details before commercialising it.

 

Why do you say that? I thought copyright occurred at the point of creation/publishing for works of art. Patents require registration and commercialization.

I also understood that fair use permits small portions of a complete work to be copied with attribution but does not mean copy anything that you want either.

http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/article-30100.html

 

Copyright only occurs if stated on the original document or attached text. For example many artists sign their work, the signature is their form of copyright, if no symbol or proclamation occurs it's pretty much fair game. If there is no copyright instigation in the original posts then there is no case, as far as we know he could have taken the idea from elsewhere anyway (I'm not saying this happened however, just in theory). The Internet is extremely different to a physical work though, there are nearly no regulations around the Internet. Unless you have a creative commons certificate (which is recognized world wide) then it can be very difficult to keep your ideas your own. I believe Langer added creative commons licenses to his projects.

 

Hmm, I'd like to debate (if your inclined) this but don't want to further thread crap. Can we take this here instead?

 

OK I'll close this one then as the statements have been made by both parties and debate has moved on. People can see the link from this thread and go there. Nice idea, Mach.