From: "Hans Siemons" <hans@balloonhq.com>
To: "arthur Tivoli" <arthurtivoli@cybercable.fr>,
Subject: Re: balloon copyrite?
Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2000 22:43:17 +0100

> that's a very good question....
> about this question I wanted to know if Paulo Michelotto the author of
> "Fantastici Palloncini" asked ,for example, John Holmes to put a lot of
his
> design on his book? Allen I think that this question about the copyrights
> are on the same way that yours...

I researched this a bit and thanks to Larry Moss I did get some answers.

Seems that you cannot copyright an idea, just the expression of an idea.
Like with the art twist, I cannot copy your instructions on my own
publication, but it's legal to write my own instructions.

That's the legal side, but there is also a bit of ethics.

As you know I am currently writing an instructional balloon cd and I am
dealing with this too. Ken Stillman's hitchhiker body (the smiley guy
sitting in your neck) is one of my favorite body which I put under a lot of
figures. After making a detailed cartoon head, this 2 balloon body which can
be both worn as a hat and can stand alone is often used by me. I decided to
just write the instructions for it and refer to Ken Stillman as the person
who I learned it from. Since I write my own instructions for it it's legal
for me to put it on the cd and I deal with the ethics part by giving credit
where I can. I use the art twist on some figures so I want to add an
explanation of the art twist to the cd. With credit of course ;-)

There is also the thing that it is perfectly possible for 2 people to come
up with the same thing. Like the face base of Todd Neufeld. When I was
searching for a face I came up with it myselve, and later found out it
existed and it is credited to Todd. I have a monkey on my cd based on this
headbase, should or shouldn't I credit Todd for the base, since I did come
up with it myselve.

Paolo's book uses his own instructions so that's perfectly legal. And he
creditted "inspiration sources", so he took care of ethics too.

Hans.