3 ms·

Not a lawyer either, but: > What if I take the design, print it, include the thing in a staged photo, and sell prints of the photo? Probably fair use, provide

Not a lawyer either, but: > What if I take the design, print it, include the thing in a staged photo, and sell prints of the photo? Probably fair use, provided the design wasn't the main focus of the photo, but merely part of the "set dressing." > What if I skip the printing and use the design files as a basis for a rendered photo or animation? > What if I print the design, then use a 3D scanner to recreate a file from the physical artifact? Those questions are simpler - both scenarios would be derivative works of the original files, so covered by the license.

dec0dedab0de 6mo ago
but are those derived works copyrightable? I don't think they are.
- robinsonb5 6mo ago
  Copyright law forbids the creation of derivative works (excepting any region-specific fair-use rules) so you're only allowed to create them under the rights granted to you in the terms of the license - thus under this particular license you can't make commercial use of derivative works.
  - dec0dedab0de 6mo ago
    But is a physical item a derivative work of it's technical specifications? If the design files qualify for copyright protections, then modifications to them would clearly be derivative works. I don't think it is clear if the keyboard itself would be a derivative work, as it almost certainly can't be protected by copyright. This is what patents are for.
    - thereisnospork 6mo ago
      Ianal, usual disclaimers, etc. The design files don't qualify for copyright protections, they describe the design which (maybe) qualifies for copyright protections.[0] The artistic design of a specific keyboard can certainly be copyrighted, but not the functional nature of it. [0]The exact wording might be protected, but not the factual information contained. Sports scores, or say measurements of a keyboard, are not copyrightable items as they are just facts, though their presentation might be.

dec0dedab0de 6mo ago

but are those derived works copyrightable? I don't think they are.

robinsonb5 6mo ago
Copyright law forbids the creation of derivative works (excepting any region-specific fair-use rules) so you're only allowed to create them under the rights granted to you in the terms of the license - thus under this particular license you can't make commercial use of derivative works.
- dec0dedab0de 6mo ago
  But is a physical item a derivative work of it's technical specifications? If the design files qualify for copyright protections, then modifications to them would clearly be derivative works. I don't think it is clear if the keyboard itself would be a derivative work, as it almost certainly can't be protected by copyright. This is what patents are for.
  - thereisnospork 6mo ago
    Ianal, usual disclaimers, etc. The design files don't qualify for copyright protections, they describe the design which (maybe) qualifies for copyright protections.[0] The artistic design of a specific keyboard can certainly be copyrighted, but not the functional nature of it. [0]The exact wording might be protected, but not the factual information contained. Sports scores, or say measurements of a keyboard, are not copyrightable items as they are just facts, though their presentation might be.