At 04:57 PM 8/26/97 -0500, you wrote:
>---------------------- Information from the mail header
-----------------------
>Sender:       Museum discussion list <[log in to unmask]>
>Poster:       Kimo Tichgelaar <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject:      Re: Exclusive license agreements for reproductions from
>              collections
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
>
>I seriously doubt that modernist furniture designs are insepperable from
>their function - otherwise all chairs would be identical.  I also think
>that attempting to escape royalty payments is a serious way to offend
>donors, so unless you only want to collect artifacts solidly in the
>public domain, a non-exclusive liscense is a good idea. Not to mention
>the cost of a lawsuit if the donor disagrees...
>
I agree that not pressing the point of copyright ownership of such designs
may be the politically proper strategy, but the question does make one
wonder how furniture designers, flatware designers and clothing designers
live with their new designs being copied as soon as they appear. Not every
Barcelona chair and Eames chair on the market is made under license.

Robert Baron
[log in to unmask]