Are patches copyrightable?
Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2006 4:48 am
You can copyright a manuscript but not a typeface.
On the other hand, a film is copyrighted and so are the likenesses of all of the actors in it.
Musically, you copyright a song's melody and lyrics but not the harmony or rhythm. Musical copyright infringement is somewhat subjective and more difficult to prosecute than text. (Partial workaround: protect yourself by printing the lyrics in the liner notes.)
But then again, some companies like Intel and NBC have a "sound logo" which I very strongly suspect is trademarked.
And just to complete the thought, what is a patch anyway? It's a configuration of electronic components, which I believe makes it patentable. But patent squabbles are for manufacturers, not artists.
So my uneducated guess would be (in the US)
copyrightable -> no
trademarkable -> yes
patentable -> yes, but... get a life!
Anyone looked into this?
On the other hand, a film is copyrighted and so are the likenesses of all of the actors in it.
Musically, you copyright a song's melody and lyrics but not the harmony or rhythm. Musical copyright infringement is somewhat subjective and more difficult to prosecute than text. (Partial workaround: protect yourself by printing the lyrics in the liner notes.)
But then again, some companies like Intel and NBC have a "sound logo" which I very strongly suspect is trademarked.
And just to complete the thought, what is a patch anyway? It's a configuration of electronic components, which I believe makes it patentable. But patent squabbles are for manufacturers, not artists.
So my uneducated guess would be (in the US)
copyrightable -> no
trademarkable -> yes
patentable -> yes, but... get a life!
Anyone looked into this?
