[Gllug] OT: Copyright and Snow Balls

[Ian Scott]

> I'm sorry, but when was it that copyright started applying to ideas,
> rather than the literal printed word?


>From http://www.patent.gov.uk/copy/definition.htm

(Copyright) "is an unregistered right (unlike patents, registered
designs or trade marks). So, there is no official action to take, (no
application to make, forms to fill in or fees to pay). Copyright comes
into effect immediately, as soon as something that can be protected is
created and "fixed" in some way, eg on paper, on film, via sound
recording, as an electronic record on the internet, etc."

I guess it counts if he filmed his snowball stuff.

There is obviously some subjectivity here.  What is copying, what is just
"being influenced by".  I haven't seen the ad or the art, so I have no idea
how close they are, but I do not have a problem with the principle of being
able to copyright an artistic idea.  And I can certainly see the argument that
if you use imagery that is closely associated with an artist  (e.g. Dali's
egg watches, Hirst's formaldehyded sheep) it looks like the artist has
endorsed the ad.




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