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[Dave_S.]

I was just asking as I was curious as to how copyright law works with plans. I spent many years working on clearing copyright for photographs used by a well-known national TV News corporation and later for slightly less serious use for the late Clive James. Clearances and fees in that world are very rarely straightforward!

[Circlip]

With plans, if your caught it's the firing squad at dawn. I DON'T object to the original designer making a buck out of his efforts, as a designer in the past, gratification for ones efforts is a nice bonus but will never generate a retirement fund (Unless you're Bill Gates) but it wrangles my crumblies when the "Suits" become involved.
 Difference in the photo world is how much can be extorted by publishing or not. This no doubt is the answer to Glynns other question why the "Owners" do nowt when plans "Escape" their clutches.


  Regards  Ian.

[Martin (Admin)]

 
.... let the litigation begin!   


Model Boat magazine, May 1980










Web Model Fittings Co.

[Martin (Admin)]

Never noticed it before, but having scanned an entire magazine, I can't believe how many pages in British magazines are advertising!

... over 60%   

[Martin (Admin)]

Look how many shops we've lost ...... 

[Dave_S.]

I have quite a few old copies of Model Boats (including that one!) and it always shocks me at the number of old familiar shops & manufacturers that have disappeared.

[ballastanksian]

That's a great start Martin, and certainly very on message as per your original intentions.


I would never support the removal of members messages unless they were defamatory or dangerous, but maybe moving the messages with the valuable info on IP and Copyright to their own section and developing the classic scans would be doubly beneficial?

[Martin (Admin)]

H G H Models, Richmond,
Ripmax, HP engines, Gold Cup, Silver Star
MacGregor Radio Control







 
 
 

[phil_parker]

Never noticed it before, but having scanned an entire magazine, I can't believe how many pages in British magazines are advertising!

... over 60%   

The rule in the mags I work for is 60%+ editorial and the rest adverts, but it varies in different industries.
While I appreciate that many people think publishing a magazine on model boating is a licence to print money, in reality, it's a long way from that. Were the Canadians working in a bigger budget industry, selling plans in breach of copyright might attract lawyers, as it is, I doubt MTM can afford to chase them in international court cases. Even if they did, would the court award anything that would cover their legal costs? Is it right that someone can break the law and get away with it? That's for you to decide.

Coming back to the adverts, those are what keep any hobby magazine viable. Some of us even enjoy looking at them and buy stuff from advertisers. If you do, tell the advertiser, so they know there is value in their advertising.

[Netleyned]

The old saying on advertising.
"If you like us, tell your friends.
If you don't, tell us"
Unfortunately, in today's media
more people complain than praise.
Ned.

[phil_parker]

The old saying on advertising.
"If you like us, tell your friends.
If you don't, tell us"
Unfortunately, in today's media
more people complain than praise.
Ned.

Online, too many people like the attention of being a "victim" - often a call (not e-mail) to a small supplier will sort things, but where's the fun in that when you can have loads of people posting and sympathising with you? A good business will respond and sort problems, but they need to know.

[Martin (Admin)]

I've seen quite a few French & Germain Model boat magazines, the ratio seems a LOT lower ....

[Martin (Admin)]

Varispeed / Bobn's Boards,
Graber Models,
Prestwich Model centre, tunned pipes,
David MacGegor plans

[phil_parker]

I've seen quite a few French & Germain Model boat magazines, the ratio seems a LOT lower ....

That says something about the state of the hobby in the different countries, as does the number of those model shops which no longer exist. Deep pockets and short arms perhaps?

[Martin (Admin)]

 
Don't think I've ever seen an actual Precedent Hanseat in real life .....
 

 
 

[Tug Fanatic]

The rule in the mags I work for is 60%+ editorial and the rest adverts, but it varies in different industries.
While I appreciate that many people think publishing a magazine on model boating is a licence to print money, in reality, it's a long way from that. Were the Canadians working in a bigger budget industry, selling plans in breach of copyright might attract lawyers, as it is, I doubt MTM can afford to chase them in international court cases. Even if they did, would the court award anything that would cover their legal costs? Is it right that someone can break the law and get away with it? That's for you to decide.

Coming back to the adverts, those are what keep any hobby magazine viable. Some of us even enjoy looking at them and buy stuff from advertisers. If you do, tell the advertiser, so they know there is value in their advertising.

January 2022 issue. 76 pages of which 14 are paid advertising or only 18%. Remembering that adverts pay for magazine production this is a very low number. I guess it is a comment on the state of the industry compared to the 60% plus paid adverts identified by Martin in old issues.

[Colin Bishop]

Yes, Model Boats finances are balanced on a knife edge and have been for a while! Let's hope it remains financially viable.

Colin

[Martin (Admin)]

  Stratos Models, aka Hydrofibre .... I had 2 or 3 of their kits.   

 Microflame airbrush compressors, Diss
 

[GG]

Referring to posts 34 and 35.
I cannot help but feel that when dealing with what might be best described as discretionary purchases of marginal items, then the greatest threat is when people take the option of just not buying it.  This requires much less effort than complaining.


Of course it could leave the the producer ignorant of the failings of their product.  In deed, if they only receive praise from those satisfied with it, then they have an (admittedly poor) excuse for failure.  Of this assumes they do not suffer from "Morton's Demon".


Before anyone asks, I do try to give thanks for good service and leave a tip in restaurants/hotels  (but only after checking the staff do get the cash!).  I've even been known to write to people who have produced something above average in magazines.


Glynn Guest

[roycv]

Hii GG re your post No 20.  Quite a while back 20+ years? I bought the plans of Caribee and I asked for the building instructions and these were copied off for a very small additional fee.  Still have them.
Phil, coming from the model railway world where the adverts are still plentiful and the paper the mag is printed on is good and the pictures top quality.  You can feel spoilt.  I have MRW and my son takes the digital version.

 Model Boats magazine for me is full of big pictures and rather flimsy paper, perhaps it all looks better in the digital edition,  Trouble is there is so much free stuff on the Internet that paying for the digital version is let us say 'Noticeable'.

I have all but 20 or so issues of Model Maker from 1952 or was it Dec. 51?  All the Model Boats magazines, they are filed away by year in what I now find are bio-degradable bags!  LIfe always manages to bite you one way or the other.
regards
Roy

[Tug Fanatic]

 ...........................Model Boats magazine for me is full of big pictures and rather flimsy paper, perhaps it all looks better in the digital edition,  Trouble is there is so much free stuff on the Internet that paying for the digital version is let us say 'Noticeable'.

regards
Roy

I agree about the pictures.

I am a digital only subscriber but don't understand the "noticeable" bit.

The biggest criticism I have is that the build articles are not designed to be read without the plan - which I don't get. The article re "Claire" in the January 2022 doesn't even give basic dimensions. Unfortunately this is normal. They take digital subscrtiber money without doing what is neessary to ensure best value.

They apparantly also have a very dated idea that not giving any sort of plan to digital subscribers protects copyright. This is very dated as I could easily scan the free printed plan from a print magazine if I wished to do so.

[Martin (Admin)]

They apparently also have a very dated idea that not giving any sort of plan to digital subscribers protects copyright. This is very dated, as I could easily scan the free printed plan from a print magazine if I wished to do so.

Yes, that is a strange marketing decision... and why I didn't opt for it in the end.   

[malcolmfrary]

Given that very few of us have a printer that does bigger than A4, any digital plan would need breaking down into A4 size tiles.  Thats a lot of effort that would need paying for for an item that in probability, only a tiny fraction would use, but would certainly increase the cost of producing the digital issue.  Perhaps a discount for anybody with a digital subscription buying a paper plan associated with one of their issues?

[TheLongBuild]

Hii GG re your post No 20.  Quite a while back 20+ years? I bought the plans of Caribee and I asked for the building instructions and these were copied off for a very small additional fee.  Still have them.
Phil, coming from the model railway world where the adverts are still plentiful and the paper the mag is printed on is good and the pictures top quality.  You can feel spoilt.  I have MRW and my son takes the digital version.

 Model Boats magazine for me is full of big pictures and rather flimsy paper, perhaps it all looks better in the digital edition,  Trouble is there is so much free stuff on the Internet that paying for the digital version is let us say 'Noticeable'.

I have all but 20 or so issues of Model Maker from 1952 or was it Dec. 51?  All the Model Boats magazines, they are filed away by year in what I now find are bio-degradable bags!  LIfe always manages to bite you one way or the other.
regards
Roy

No 1 was December 1950


Model Maker 1950_1954 (runcornmodelboats.co.uk)

[TheLongBuild]

Given that very few of us have a printer that does bigger than A4, any digital plan would need breaking down into A4 size tiles.  Thats a lot of effort that would need paying for for an item that in probability, only a tiny fraction would use, but would certainly increase the cost of producing the digital issue.  Perhaps a discount for anybody with a digital subscription buying a paper plan associated with one of their issues?

I get both paper and Digital but I think the discount for a plan if you have a digital subscription only would be a good move.