Legal Ramifications of reproducing Kodak Retina Parts?

[Steve Smith]

i doubt there would be any copyright on 90 year old parts of obsolete cameras.

Parts of machinery do not have copyright protection.

Most patents are only valid for 20 years. As long as you don't violate any Kodak trademarks you would be safe.

And patents protect ideas.

Go ahead and make replacement parts!

Steve.

 

[AgX]

Parts of machinery do not have copyright protection.

If that machinery is patented then a unique piece that is substantial to the idea behind that patent would be covered too.

Anyway, patents are constantly referred to at Apug typically overestimating their importance.

 

[michr]

I don't see how parts to a camera which is as much as 75 years old could have any patent protection. In fact, I don't see how you couldn't make a part-for-part clone of the camera, except the branding. But I'm not a lawyer.

I've contemplated getting a lathe and learning how to use it just so that I could turn out steel copies of brass gears. I'm sure I must be underestimating the difficulty and overestimating the demand for specialised camera replacement parts.

It's probably as cheap to make 50 as it is to make 1 part, so why not? Find a price point that pays you back and advertise on eBay or wherever. If eventually it catches on and the price falls to the bottom, maybe we'll all be winners. I would pay $2 and wait a month for shipping to repair a $25 camera. I'd also pay $10 to buy one made in the USA and shipped within three days. I won't pay $50, ever.

I am skeptical there is much of a market for these parts, or much money to be made. I'm not a camera technician, so I'd probably have to hire someone to do any major work. I'm fairly certain I could buy several cameras hoping for a working one for the same price as the labor to fix one.

 

[BrianShaw]

What often seems to be overestimated in conversations like the is the size of the potential market. As much as I'd like to have a reliable source of Retina parts... such a venture would have to be a labor of love because I can't imagine much profit potential.

 

[Kino]

What often seems to be overestimated in conversations like the is the size of the potential market. As much as I'd like to have a reliable source of Retina parts... such a venture would have to be a labor of love because I can't imagine much profit potential.

Yep, you ain't gonna get rich, but I would hope it would at least pay for itself...
More of a public-service type thing for fellow photographers...