Sharing, and proprietary methods

[David Love]

I think it's difficult to come up with hard and fast rules for proprietary
information.  I tend to be fairly generous with my time and information when
I have something to offer or if somebody asks me a question directly.  But I
would be lying if I said that there weren't things that I prefer to keep to
myself.

There was a time when technicians benefited from an apprentice arrangement
and the knowledge of the master craftsman was passed on.  That situation
doesn't exist so much anymore.  At the same time, journals, conventions and
lists such as this have taken their place.  Thus the sharing of information
seems inevitable due to the larger pool and more efficient means of
communication.  Most proprietary information is short lived.  We both want
to keep our findings secret and show the world what we've found.  Most of
the time, our desire to show the world what we've found wins out.

The things I consider proprietary are usually those things that I've worked
the hardest to learn about.  And, to be honest, I'm most inclined to share
that information when I see others trying to sell it or license it.  There
are times when leveling the playing field benefits all of us.

Most of what will guarantee our success has nothing to do with that small
proprietary secret anyway.  Rather, it is committing ourselves to
excellence, never assuming we know it all, and maintaining good
relationships with our customers and colleagues that gives us the edge.

David Love


----- Original Message -----
From: <BobDavis88@AOL.COM>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: July 31, 2002 3:04 PM
Subject: Sharing, and proprietary methods


In a message dated 07/29/2002 3:55:27 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
Kdivad@AOL.COM writes:

>  I like to share.

David, if I were more sensitive I might think that this implied that I do
NOT. However, I will take your remark as good-natured ribbing. I will leave
it to others to decide if my nature is ungenerous. I would hope that thirty
years of teaching at local, state, regional and national conventions, a
series of Journal articles, free tutoring in tuning and voicing, and hours
spent on the phone helping other technicians would qualify as "sharing" at
least to some small degree.

I wouldn't even have bit, because of my justified embarrassment at my rookie
gaffe; except that you raise a question which interests me, and I would like
to know what others think:

Ours is a very generous craft, the most generous I have ever seen. Does
sharing mean that NOTHING should be proprietary? Is there a moral problem
with a competitive advantage in some small area? How about our members who
hold patents? Most patents are like the rest of the knowledge base in our
industry - based in large measure upon the work of others; with perhaps a
new
twist, or one clever feature which does not make it a different object, but
does distinguish it in some material way. A VERY small number represent
truly
revolutionary ways of thinking. Did David Stanwood invent action
geometry/metrology? No, he oranized previously known information in a way
which is easier to use. As generous as Del Fandrich and Ron Overs are, do
they share EVERYTHING with us? No, both hold patents.

I have come up with a few (a very few) original ways of thinking about
things. I chose not to try to protect them, in return for things others have
shared with me, to keep the system as open as possible. My wife has done the
same, with a clever method of replacing Steinway leather buttons, and other
refinishing details. I have written before about my appreciation of what I
have gained from others (probably 98% of what I know).

> I don't know how Bill found out the technique I have never told anyone.

Yes, yes, hold the satire, I realize that several people can come up with a
good idea independently. However, no one in my business area that I knew of
was using one particular small idea which I have been using for nearly ten
years, and I chose to tell no one, except for one person. I don't feel
guilty. Should I?

I would like to hear what others think about what can be proprietary and
what
can't.

Bob Davis