Upcoming Changes to Building The Ergonomic Guitar
Following Actoguitar.com’s misuse of my blog content (see my post Actoguitar.com is lifting my Content without Permission!), its misrepresentation of my content’s source as a fictitious participant on their forum and their misdirection of traffic away from my blog, I felt I had to make several changes to the site in order to better protect the site and its content in the future.
Some of the changes are simple. For example, I am making copyright information on the site more obvious to the reader. That said I should note that copyright protections extend to the author regardless of whether these are explicitly stated or not. For more information, see Lorelle VanFossen’s excellent article (along with related copyright related links) “What Do You Do When Someone Steals Your Content”. Possibly this will dissuade some from the misuse of my content in the future.
Other changes involve creating more “traction” for my blog and its content so that traffic is not so easily misdirected in the future. An important aspect is building greater visibility between my content and the fact that I am its creator. This means making sure that search engines have the information they need regarding my blog, its content and its author. I won’t go into any detail here but suffice it to say, any techniques I use to achieve improved search engine optimization (as defined at Wikipedia) will only include “white hat” techniques. I have no interest in gaining undeserved search engine ranking or exposure. Finally, I think I can gain additional site exposure and traction by including suitably targeted advertisements so I am going to incorporate these as well.
Whatever changes I make, I will insist that they never detract from the original focus of my blog – ergonomics for the guitar and related subjects such as guitar building, issues of design and implementation, and ergonomics itself – the science of designing equipment and environments to fit the individual.
“What to do when someone steals your content?”
How about when someone steals your entire guitar design, like the Klein guitar you’re copying for example. Or are you paying Steve Klein a royalty to produce one of his guitars? And would he want your construction and workmanship mistaken for his own?
I find this complaint by you about intellectual property (yours) to be ironic in the extreme.
Thank you for your comments and the opportunity to address this concern. There is a world of difference between the two situations as I hope to explain here. First, and most importantly, as I have clearly indicated in several posts, I PURCHASED the plan that Steve Klein HIMSELF produced and released through the Guild of American Luthiers. It is readily available to anyone who wants it. That alone should be sufficient evidence that there is no issue here but there are other facts as well. Second, if you are at all familiar with the world of amateur guitar building (spend some time on the Project Guitar Forum or related sites), copies are a common and accepted practice. Strats and Les Pauls are the usual subject matter. Regardless, guitar manufacturers typically draw the line at protecting such things as their trademarked names and logos as these represent the marketing influence that often drives a guitarist to buy one design over another. Third, and related to the whole business of amateur guitar building, is that the guitar is intended for personal use – I am not representing the design as my own nor am I passing off the guitar build as anything but my own rather limited work. (I have clearly stated that I am new to woodworking as well). Fourth, I have also made it clear that I am using it as a jumping off point to explore certain ideas as any guitar builder might do with any other design. For example, have you seen the Ovation Breadwinner that preceded the Klein Electric? It is hard to imagine that Steve Klein was not influenced by this design but he proceeded with his design regardless. My attempt is not intended as a faithful replica. There will be no mistake that it is NOT a Klein.
Further, you should also be aware that Steve Klein severed his ties with the Klein Electric a number of years ago – having sold the shop to one of his former employees who has been unable to produce the guitars with any regularity despite deposits to the contrary. Although not a direct part of my argument, it remains an important fact tied back to Steve Klein releasing the plan to the public.
Given all of this, I do not believe the two situations are at all related or that my complaint is “ironic” in any way. There is no misrepresentation of my work or Klein’s design as anything but our respective efforts and I will not see a financial gain from my amateur guitar building attempt. Contrast this with the site that stole my content. The site owner created a forum specifically for my content and then attributed my work, in its entirety, to a fictitious contributor to the forum. The site owner even admitted that my content had netted a financial return in the short time it was on the site.
Thank you again, and I hope this clears up your concerns.