[pianotech] Steinway parts list

[David Love]

Maybe the better question is whether it really is a wholesale price list.
I'm not clear that one has to prove anything to Steinway in order to buy
things from them at these prices, maybe I'm wrong.  Other vendors clearly
differentiate between wholesale and retail prices on the price lists they
provide to resellers.  The Steinway pricelist makes no such distinction.


 

David Love

www.davidlovepianos.com

 

From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Israel Stein
Sent: Saturday, March 26, 2011 9:15 PM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Cc: David Boyce
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Steinway parts list

 

David and all,

The technicalities of copyright law are not the issue here. The issue here
is commonly accepted  business practice. It is not in the best interest of
business people who want to make a profit on the sale of a product to
publicize wholesale prices. It puts them at a disadvantage when involved in
price negotiations with a prospective client. Someone who presents himself
as an "expert" on business practice and publishes a book on the subject
ought to know that. You simply don't send out wholesale prices in a public
medium - period. And anyone who doesn't understand that ought to hang his
head in shame. And the more this person keeps arguing about it, the less
believable all his claims to alleged expertise in anything become. 

Israel Stein 



On 11:59 AM, David Boyce wrote: 

Indeed. Copyright is not something that you have to DO. It is something that
automatically IS.  It is a right that exists as soon as you produce an
original work. 

What would be copyright about a price list, however, is the TYPOGRAPHICAL
ARRANGEMENT of the prices into a list. The information or fact that a
particular part costs a particular price, is not copyright. There is no
copyright in facts or ideas; only in original WORKS produced using skill and
judgement.

It is the same with the piano numbers books like Pierce, as we discussed on
here a couple of years ago.  It would break copyright law to scan and
reproduce a page of Pierce. But it would not breach copyright to use the
piano numbers listed in it, in some other context (however much the
publishers might care to suggest otherwise!).

The information that a given flange costs a given price, does not constitute
a WORK.  The typographical arrangement of prices for all parts into a list,
does constitute a WORK. Therefore, copying and reproducing the list, or
work, is a breach of copyright. Distributing the information IN the list, in
some other form, is not.

More pertinent here, though, is the aspect of business confidentiality and
business relationships.

End of pedantic rant.

Best regards,

David Boyce.





It does not have to show specific copyright information. It is copyrighted
material by virtue of its having been written. (See pg. 3 of the attached
"Copyright Basics.") Like it or not, Steinway's price list is copyrighted
and the copyright is owned by its creator or by the entity paying for its
creation; in this case Steinway & Sons. To reproduce it or to distribute it
without their permission is a violation of copyright law. 

 

Now, Steinway may or may not care if you distribute their document without
checking with them first-I have no idea what their position might be-but
that is their decision to make; not ours.

 

ddf

 

 

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