Sharing, and proprietary methods

[BobDavis88@AOL.COM]

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