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Turtlicious posted:How close can you get to an original work and still claim it as your own? I'm looking at stuff like Minecraft and Shadowrun, wondering how one gets copied so much, and the other is basically ignored. I mean could I make a game tomorrow set in Los Angeles, with Cybered up dudes saying chummer, and dragons re-awakening, magic, and poo poo like that? How far do intellectual property rights go? There's a legal question thread in A/T, there are some people who know lots about copyright there. However, I teach copyright and stuff in high schools so I'll take a shot at giving you the same level of understanding as a Canadian 16 year old: Copyright, patents, and trademark are separate things. A trademark is just a registered name or distinct, branded term (e.g., Red bull gives you wings) that never expires as long as you: A. continue to pay your registration fees, AND B. use it within 10 years of filing or file an excuse for why you haven't used the trademark. (http://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/trademark-faqs) Trademark is also different from other forms of marking names such as Geographical Indications (i.e., why only certain wine from France is sold as champagne, but champagne made in California is "sparkling wine" or some variation of that), or trade secrets which are just valuable information that give companies advantages and allow them to require nondisclosure agreements from people who deal with the secret. Copyright is a protection for authors of unique content including computer software and works of fiction. Copyright is not a protection for facts, ideas, systems, or methods of operation (though, in some cases these can be patented). Copyright lasts 70 years after the date of creation, unless you're Disney in which case it lasts forever. (http://fairuse.stanford.edu/overview/faqs/copyright-basics/) So: The story of Frodo and his quest to seduce another dude is protected, but the idea of a world where some races are just evil monsters and some races are mysterious, magical beings from a faraway land is not. Calling your wine champagne is protected but using the recipe for champagne is not. Calling your cola Coke is protected as well as the recipe for the cola called Coke. Even if the copyright expires, you still have to give attribution to the author or else you're plagiarizing, which has only a limited relationship to copyright. Patents are a protection for the creators of "any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof." Basically (may be a clunky comparison) copyright is to a story as patents are to a way of storytelling. A patent lasts 20 years from the date of filing.
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Dec 18, 2015 17:20
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OctoberBlues posted:Here's a small and stupid question, what has caused so many people on the forums to start saying "I for one am glad of it" or "I'm glad of it" like above. Did this start organically on the forums or is it referencing something? "I'm glad of it" is fairly common in British literature, certain UK dialects, and period pieces on TV
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Dec 18, 2015 17:25
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Oh wow, for some reason I thought it was a lot stricter then that, that's pretty cool. Iron Man is protected by Copyright, but drunk flying robot suit man isn't. That kind of thing.
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Dec 18, 2015 18:10
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uwaeve posted:Is there a scene similar to the tank going over the cliff in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade but with Chevy Chase in some comedy movie? The premise being someone has died, but actually lives and shows up behind his grief-stricken companions? I feel like I remember a Vacation movie or something where this happens with Chevy Chase like standing behind his family starting to cry with them for his own death. Maybe it's another actor or movie idk. My first thought was the scene where Bill Murray drives off the cliff in Groundhog Day, but I don't think he shows up behind the people, he just immediately wakes up again the "next" day.
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Dec 18, 2015 18:23
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Turtlicious posted:Oh wow, for some reason I thought it was a lot stricter then that, that's pretty cool. That's right. And the reason you can't call your story iron man is because of the trademark. You also probably couldn't trademark Drunk Man in a Flying Robot Suit since it's not distinct, in the same way I can't trademark "orange drink". Copyright also means that your Drunk Man in a Flying Robot Suit can't just be a reprint of the script from Iron Man, but even if the copyright expires you still can't (or shouldn't) do that for professional reasons. http://fairuse.stanford.edu/overview/public-domain/trouble-spots/#plagiarism_attribution_and_the_public_domain Nobody can sue you for saying that you wrote Cinderella and selling it, but nobody is going to hire you afterwards if they find out. You could also face "public humiliation" which is probably my favourite consequence on that website.
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Dec 18, 2015 18:41
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What is the 'Tutti-Fruitti' Jelly Belly supposed to represent?
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Dec 18, 2015 20:20
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No Such Thing posted:What is the 'Tutti-Fruitti' Jelly Belly supposed to represent? Tutti-Frutti. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tutti_frutti_(food)
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Dec 18, 2015 20:50
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It's almost definitely Spies Like Us thanks!
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Dec 18, 2015 22:42
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I've just gotten new license plates in a state that requires one on the front. How should I go about attaching it?
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Dec 18, 2015 22:51
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El Jeffe posted:I've just gotten new license plates in a state that requires one on the front. How should I go about attaching it? I'm a little confused because the answer is "exactly the same as the one on the back, although there might only be two screws instead of four" What is the part you're having a problem with? Do you just need the screws? I think the size is somewhat universal, so a hardware store could probably help you or the DMV themselves will sell them sometimes.
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Dec 18, 2015 23:03
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OctoberBlues posted:I'm a little confused because the answer is "exactly the same as the one on the back, although there might only be two screws instead of four" There's no place to put the plate, probably because the car is from a state that doesn't require it, I assume. Am I going to have to go buy a drill and put the holes in myself?
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Dec 18, 2015 23:10
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El Jeffe posted:I've just gotten new license plates in a state that requires one on the front. How should I go about attaching it? Go to your local auto parts store, tell them what make and model your car is, and they''ll get you a proper part to mount the plate on front. They'll probably have something universal that works on most cars.
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Dec 18, 2015 23:13
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fishmech posted:Go to your local auto parts store, tell them what make and model your car is, and they''ll get you a proper part to mount the plate on front. They'll probably have something universal that works on most cars. Will do, thanks.
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Dec 18, 2015 23:48
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The parts department of your local dealership will also have front plate mounts on hand for your model if your car isn't ancient.
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Dec 19, 2015 05:03
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Turtlicious posted:Oh wow, for some reason I thought it was a lot stricter then that, that's pretty cool. I didn't see it mentioned earlier, but you also have 'fair use' coming into play, which generally protects parody, criticism, and educational use. So for example, if you write a story about Not Iron Man, but is obviously about the misadventures of drunk flying robot suit man, then that's legal, as long as your story isn't just an Iron Man knockoff. That's the parody exemption. So to step away from Iron Man, to Star Wars, if I want to explain Campbell's heroic journey theory, and use clips from the original Star Wars trilogy to illustrate it, that's also fair use. That's the education exemption. As for the criticism exception, I can't just film me saying , 'The Prequels sucked, don't believe me watch this," followed by nine hour's of prequels. That would violate copyright law. But I can take a clip of Anakin talking about sand, and point out that no sane person talks that way. That's the criticism exemption.
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Dec 19, 2015 12:36
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Not sure if this is the right thread, but does anyone know of any good 'nerd stuff' stores around Lakeview Ohio, within say, 45 minutes drive? I'm trying to get a Christmas gift for my niece, but I' not sure where to go, and I know she's really into anime at the moment. I didn't want to just get her a gift card, and I know the sort of anime she likes, so I figured I'd get her some merchandise or something, but I'm having trouble finding somewhere I can do that. Anyone know?
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Dec 19, 2015 16:45
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thrakkorzog posted:I didn't see it mentioned earlier, but you also have 'fair use' coming into play, which generally protects parody, criticism, and educational use. Yeah, oops. This is also why channels like cinemasins can use bits of a film.
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Dec 19, 2015 17:47
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What software/solutions do people use to manage employee shifts? The team is <10 people but I also want something that can handle unavailabilities not just for whole days (or date ranges) but also particular time slots, so employee A can't work Tuesdays from 5pm to midnight, for example. Anybody have any recommendations?
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Dec 19, 2015 22:17
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Sulla-Marius 88 posted:What software/solutions do people use to manage employee shifts? The team is <10 people but I also want something that can handle unavailabilities not just for whole days (or date ranges) but also particular time slots, so employee A can't work Tuesdays from 5pm to midnight, for example. Anybody have any recommendations? I used to use Rosterapps, check out the absences part of their overview: https://www.rosterapps.com/tour#absences - it starts at $50/mo. for small teams but once it's set up it runs itself and they host it. It's also a nice tool because all your employees can log in and view their schedule, request trades, time off etc. There's lots of scheduling programs available so it might not be so great anymore, but for the price it's super flexible for non-traditional scheduling. Cons - no app, just a mobile view on the website. e: actually the availability section here - https://www.rosterapps.com/tour#timeoff - might be more of what you're looking for. Kings Of Calabria fucked around with this message at 22:45 on Dec 19, 2015 |
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Dec 19, 2015 22:42
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What's the difference between baking powder and baking soda in cooking, and how do you know when you should use one vs the other?
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Dec 20, 2015 00:34
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Enfys posted:What's the difference between baking powder and baking soda in cooking, and how do you know when you should use one vs the other? Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is a mineral that releases carbon dioxide when heated or when it reacts with an acidic ingredient like buttermilk or cocoa. It creates bubbles in a thick batter. Baking powder is a carbonate that contains an acid already. When wet, these things react and release carbon dioxide. It's used in wetter batters that can't hold bubbles for long. If a recipe is already acidic, then the acid in the baking powder might not react and could taste bad. Wikipedia is a good resource for this. The correct answer to "when do I use each" is: follow the recipe. Baking is all about chemistry and the ratios of ingredients are really important.
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Dec 20, 2015 00:49
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Thanks. I guess I am mostly curious about the chemistry of baking/cooking. I don't quite know how to phrase things as I'm trying to wrap my head around what happens chemically in one recipe vs another, or why a recipe will call for one and not the other, if that makes sense. When you say that baking powder is for wetter batters that can't hold bubbles for long, does that mean that it allows bubbles to form better, or that the bubbles aren't important in this case? What do bubbles in a batter actually do? Would baking powder not create bubbles in a thick batter the way that baking soda does, or do thick batters always tend to have an acidic ingredient in them which is why you would use the baking soda? I know these are probably daft questions, but I am getting into baking and am trying to understand what I'm actually doing and what is happening when I combine different things.
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Dec 20, 2015 01:04
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Enfys posted:Thanks. I guess I am mostly curious about the chemistry of baking/cooking. I don't quite know how to phrase things as I'm trying to wrap my head around what happens chemically in one recipe vs another, or why a recipe will call for one and not the other, if that makes sense. Bubbles give baked goods their texture. Check, say, a muffin like this and a tortilla for comparison. The baking soda in that muffin releases CO2 when heated, giving the end product a light, airy, bubbly texture. Flour tortillas have no baking soda usually and are flat and dense and stretchy. I think one purpose of bubbles is to break apart the gluten proteins that form in a flour based batter (which is why you can overmix muffins). Breads achieve this effect with yeast, which consumes sugar and generates CO2 (and alcohol, among other things) when warmed. Baking powder won't be able to react as well in a dry dough, I'm not sure why, liquids just react more vigorously. To see the effect of baking soda v. Powder, add some to water. Good baking powder will form bubbles as the acid enters the solution and reacts with the carbonate creating carbon dioxide. Baking soda will not.
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Dec 20, 2015 01:32
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Enfys posted:Thanks. I guess I am mostly curious about the chemistry of baking/cooking. I don't quite know how to phrase things as I'm trying to wrap my head around what happens chemically in one recipe vs another, or why a recipe will call for one and not the other, if that makes sense. Most baking powder is double acting, so you get another round of bubbles when it heats up (around 120 degrees I think). This probably helps thin batters because its making the bubbles closer to when the proteins set , so you keep more of your leavening.
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Dec 20, 2015 02:31
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Enfys posted:Thanks. I guess I am mostly curious about the chemistry of baking/cooking. I don't quite know how to phrase things as I'm trying to wrap my head around what happens chemically in one recipe vs another, or why a recipe will call for one and not the other, if that makes sense. There's a good book called BakeWise by a professor of biochemistry named Shirley Corriher. Definitely worth reading. Harold McGee has also written a lot of stuff about the chemistry and physics of cooking and baking.
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Dec 20, 2015 04:58
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Is there a term for a symbol or idiom that outlives its literal origin? Like how most people nowadays will never see a vinyl record or floppy disk but still understand the concept of a "broken record", or what a record scratch sound means, or that a floppy disk icon means "save".
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Dec 20, 2015 14:55
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Or, say, "hanging up" the phone. Things like that might just fall under the concept of "cultural memory".
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Dec 20, 2015 15:35
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Enourmo posted:Or, say, "hanging up" the phone. I think they're just considered Memes under the original definition of Memes, before Memes became cat pictures.
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Dec 20, 2015 15:52
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HMS Boromir posted:Like how most people nowadays will never see a vinyl record Uhh okay
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Dec 20, 2015 16:47
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e: Reading comprehension.
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Dec 20, 2015 18:40
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HMS Boromir posted:Is there a term for a symbol or idiom that outlives its literal origin? Like how most people nowadays will never see a vinyl record or floppy disk but still understand the concept of a "broken record", or what a record scratch sound means, or that a floppy disk icon means "save". There's a lot of discussion centered around the "shutter sound" for digital cameras, which is where people are most likely to be using words for that sort of thing. Japan requires cameras to make the shutter sound on smart phones (apparently), and Sony got involved in a protracted hassle with customers who were irritated by the fact that Sony had a mechanism to make that noise inside their otherwise silent cameras. Sony kept saying it was actually a sound the camera inherently made, even after someone took apart their camera and disabled the fake noise generator.
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Dec 20, 2015 19:49
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Ras Het posted:Uhh okay "Most people these days will never see a vinyl record" is actually a pretty uncontroversial statement. Outside of the fraction of a fraction of a percent of people who collect them, everyone else switched formats years ago. The thing with the camera noise is real, Japan has it so that you know if someone is taking creepshots. It's not a law but "gentleman's agreements" between manufacturers there carry a lot of weight. An example is the agreement during the 80s, 90s and early 2000s to never produce a car that had more than 276 listed horsepower. As soon as one manufacturer broke it, they all did. Memento fucked around with this message at 21:39 on Dec 20, 2015 |
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Dec 20, 2015 21:36
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HMS Boromir posted:Is there a term for a symbol or idiom that outlives its literal origin? Like how most people nowadays will never see a vinyl record or floppy disk but still understand the concept of a "broken record", or what a record scratch sound means, or that a floppy disk icon means "save". I don't think there's a specific term for it, maybe 'anachronistic'? 'Slightly archaic?' It's sort of weird if you think about it sometimes, like 90% of modern phones are the size and shape of a Hershey bar the symbol for a telephone is the same big ol' handset we've had on rotary-dial phones since the 1930's pupdive posted:There's a lot of discussion centered around the "shutter sound" for digital cameras, which is where people are most likely to be using words for that sort of thing. Japan requires cameras to make the shutter sound on smart phones (apparently), and Sony got involved in a protracted hassle with customers who were irritated by the fact that Sony had a mechanism to make that noise inside their otherwise silent cameras. Sony kept saying it was actually a sound the camera inherently made, even after someone took apart their camera and disabled the fake noise generator. For the record, this is basically because Japan had a problem where people kept taking upskirt photos of women, especially on the crowded public transport.
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Dec 20, 2015 21:49
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Memento posted:"Most people these days will never see a vinyl record" is actually a pretty uncontroversial statement. Outside of the fraction of a fraction of a percent of people who collect them, everyone else switched formats years ago. I'm seeing them at bookstores again now. Not even little boutique ones, but chain bookstores.
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Dec 20, 2015 21:54
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YggiDee posted:For the record, this is basically because Japan had a problem where people kept taking upskirt photos of women, especially on the crowded public transport. Kept, and continues to, have that problem. 
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Dec 20, 2015 21:55
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I note the correct use of the word "people", and leave it to you to figure out whether I'm racist or sexist.
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Dec 20, 2015 22:48
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Memento posted:"Most people these days will never see a vinyl record" is actually a pretty uncontroversial statement. Outside of the fraction of a fraction of a percent of people who collect them, everyone else switched formats years ago. Lots of new music is released on vinyl for enthusiasts, I think the number of people who own vinyl albums at least the US is probably in the 10-20% range if you asked me to guess.
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Dec 21, 2015 00:23
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Not so much enthusiasts but hipsters. Vinyl sales have been rising, but turntable sales are remaining flat (and not many companies are making many of them due to low demand).
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Dec 21, 2015 00:37
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Well I did a little googling and it turns out I'm 100% wrong about vinyl, apparently 2014 was the biggest year for vinyl sales on record, and "Vinyl revival" has its own Wikipedia page. Still, they only account for around 5-6% of music sales.
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Dec 21, 2015 01:04
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I just meant that if you are ever in a city you're likely to walk past a record store or see records at a flea market or see a DJ or whatever. People do know what records are. Sure, not that many people actually own and play them.
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Dec 21, 2015 01:06
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