Kenyon, D^2;
I think that the most amusing part of all this are the auto literature
dealers at the swap meets that complain about the literature posted on the
website. That do not hold any copyright on any of this material and yet they
claim to have some moral monopoly to earn money from its sale. Some of these
guys have been retailing C.D ROM editions of shop manuals for a tidy profit
and you can bet that they don't pay any royalties on that. On the other hand
old car clubs, like our own, are non profit societies that aid in the
education or restoration of a given make or manufacturer of car. Who would
the lawyers go after first?
Technically some of this stuff may not be in public domain but whoever
may own the copyright has long since given up earning a living off of it.
Much of the technical information is no longer available from the
manufacturer and even at the time it was available much of it could be found
in either Motor or Chilton type manuals. I don't think that the intent
behind the servicing manuals was to make money so much as it was to keep the
customer satisfied with their car. As for the advertising, ads cost money to
place in magazines or even to print as a brochure just to get exposure.
Would you care if someone gave you free ad space, provided that they didn't
besmirch your company's reputation?
Best Regards
Arran Foster
1954 Imperial Newport
Needing A Left Side Taillight Bezel and other trim parts.
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