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Schematic Copyright?

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pyreweb

Schematic Copyright?

Hello,

I downloaded the circuit schematics for a Marshall TSL-100 from Dr Tube, and as far as I can tell they are the official schematics, released in the Marshall magazine around 2003. Would I be allowed to post them here? They do say copyright Marshall amplification on them.

I am interested in building a spring reverb driver circuit like that found in the TSL.

Many thanks.

Beaker

Re: Schematic Copyright?

This is a subject that crops up fairly often.

What is copyright here is the image (drawing) itself. To use it for the purposes you describe is not a breach of copyright.

If you were to Tippex over anything that refers to Marshall on the drawing, then claim it as your own work, is a breach of copyright, and therefore illegal.

It is not possible to protect the circuit itself under copyright law - as long as the resulting circuit looks different to the original. Therefore if you were to simply photocopy a PCB, then produce a copy of it, claiming it as your own work is illegal. Re-arrange some of the component placements and the copper traces, put your own logo on it, and you are ok.

There are a couple of reverb drivers on here already - use the search bar to find them.

pyreweb

Re: Schematic Copyright?

Thank you, that is enlightening. Interesting to know that a circuit cannot be copyrighted, I imagine that must be infuriating for some designers.

I saw the reverb drivers for the Cook Spring Reverb, but it came with warnings that with the wrong reverb tank attached, it would sound terrible, so I found a circuit for a reverb driver I know (in my opinion, at least) sounds very good, and that I know which tank to pair it with. Would it be ok to post these schematics, or better to go with the existing designs?

Beaker

Re: Schematic Copyright?

That is a common feature of these reverb drivers - use a tank with the wrong impedance and it won't work, or will sound bad.

You could look into the Surfy Bear - that's a great sounding project, and is optimised for one of the most common tanks available. You can use quite a few other tanks too, as it's impedance tolerance is quite wide.

The Surfy bear is on here too.

Go ahead though - if you have a schematic, post it in the Request section.

induction

Re: Schematic Copyright?

In reply to this post by pyreweb

pyreweb wrote

Thank you, that is enlightening. Interesting to know that a circuit cannot be copyrighted, I imagine that must be infuriating for some designers.

Circuits can't be copyrighted because they don't fall under the scope of 'fixed representations in a tangible medium'. A schematic is a fixed representation, and it can be copyrighted. So can a pcb, a vero layout, a brand logo, etc.

But the circuit itself is not a representation, it's an invention. So copyright law does not apply but patent law does. Circuits and pedals can be patented. Most pedal circuits are too derivative of previous circuits to be considered novel enough for a patent, but some pedals and pedal subcircuits have been patented. (In most of the cases I've read about, the patent holder is demonstrably not the first person to implement the patented idea.)

The difference between copyrights and patents is why it is legal to make clones of most pedals and sell them (patent law), but not legal to use the name or logo of the original product in the cloned pedal (copyright law).

IvIark

Re: Schematic Copyright?

Administrator

In reply to this post by pyreweb

pyreweb wrote

Thank you, that is enlightening. Interesting to know that a circuit cannot be copyrighted, I imagine that must be infuriating for some designers.

Ironically it seems to infuriate the ones who have never designed a thing in their lives and have based every single one of their pedals on someone elses ideas. Like Fulltone.

rocket88

Re: Schematic Copyright?

Administrator

Let's not forget fooltone has tried to claim others ideas as his own so far that he has threatened lawsuits.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Champion-City-Effects/478986288944366?fref=ts

https://instagram.com/championcityeffects/

https://soundcloud.com/user-850978634

pyreweb

Re: Schematic Copyright?

That is good to know, thank you. I will post the schematics because I would like to try to replicate the Marshall setup, but there are some areas of it I am not sure about, so if it does not look like I will be able to make it then I shall try the Surfy Bear instead. I will make two copies so that I can use it stereo effects.

That is concerning to know that someone would think they had the right to pursue copyright on things they had no claim over. Also interesting that one particular person has such a reputation for doing so. I wonder how that has affected his sales. It is nice to see ten Fulltone pedals on this blog.

Silver Blues

Re: Schematic Copyright?

Well it would seem no one around here nor anyone they're affiliated with buys stuff from him, and rightly so.

Through all the worry and pain we move on

IvIark

Re: Schematic Copyright?

Administrator

He just had his lawyer send a cease and desist letter to mklec. So I think I need to add a few more Fulltone pedal layouts soon. I'll check what we're missing and if there are any new pedals (that someone else designed, like all the others) he has brought out recently.

I like all our layouts to stay on this site, but give full permission for any of the Fulltone ones to be posted all over the internet wherever anyone wants to. In fact I may get some huge billboard size ones printed and posted on walls around Mike's home town.

Frank_NH

Re: Schematic Copyright?

I built an OCD on vero, finally got it to work, and decided it was too "meh" to even box. There are so many better circuits out there that one will find any Fulltone builds unnecessary. Then we'll both be happy. Ha!