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mommy4ever Forum All-Star
Joined: April 08 2011 Location: Canada
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Posted: Aug 15 2012 at 8:55am | IP Logged
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This conversation came up. Some one claims to have a patent on a style of calendar. Is such a thing possible? To me, there are only so many ways to create a calendar. Then you tweak any note taking areas.
The specific patent was having the dates in a column on the left. But I had one of these by a different company some 18 or 19 years ago.
Can anyone here clarify?
__________________ Mom to 4,
1 graduated June 2012
1 in Catholic school
2 homeschooled(one considering art school!)
ardently praying for a new addition to our family.
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mamaslearning Forum All-Star
Joined: Nov 12 2007 Location: N/A
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Posted: Aug 16 2012 at 11:33am | IP Logged
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Sorry, I'm not help at all but maybe a search of the patent office? I would think there would be something online for them?
__________________ Lara
DD 11, DS 8, DS 6, DS 4
St. Francis de Sales Homeschool
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JodieLyn Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 06 2006 Location: Oregon
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Posted: Aug 16 2012 at 12:17pm | IP Logged
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wouldnt' a calendar be a copyright not a patent anyway? My understanding is unless you can handle all the legal expenses of challenging others that holding a patent isn't worth the paper it's written on.
__________________ Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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JennGM Forum Moderator
Joined: Feb 07 2005 Location: Virginia
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Posted: Aug 16 2012 at 12:21pm | IP Logged
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Not sure about this. I have heard things like this, like Franklin Covey's designs being copyrighted or something. There's one design I really like and I've been curious if it's theirs specifically.
__________________ Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2 '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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JodieLyn Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 06 2006 Location: Oregon
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Posted: Aug 16 2012 at 1:06pm | IP Logged
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Hmmm this article 5 Things that Can't Be Copyrighted actually mentions things like the photos can be copyrighted but the calendar can't be. But I'm still not sure if the form of the caldendar can be copyrighted or not.
__________________ Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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JodieLyn Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 06 2006 Location: Oregon
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Posted: Aug 16 2012 at 1:09pm | IP Logged
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yeah This article says of things that can NOT be copyrighted
Quote:
•Ideas, procedures, methods, systems, processes, concepts, principles, discoveries, or devises, as distinguished from a description, explanation, or illustration Works that are "common property" and have no original authorship, for example standard calendars, tape measures and rules, height and weight charts, lists or tables taken from public documents or other common sources |
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__________________ Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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JennGM Forum Moderator
Joined: Feb 07 2005 Location: Virginia
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Posted: Aug 16 2012 at 1:11pm | IP Logged
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"Standard calendars" but formatting and style especially if unique can be copyrighted, like a font or the actual way it is formatted.
__________________ Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2 '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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MicheleQ Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 23 2005 Location: Pennsylvania
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Posted: Aug 16 2012 at 1:15pm | IP Logged
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Right. So for example, my planner is copyrighted meaning that you can't just copy it. But a calendar per se can't be copyrighted just someone's individual design of one. Even so a slight variation on that design would then become *your* design. Patented though? No.
__________________ Michele Quigley
wife to my prince charming and mom of 10 in Lancaster County, PA USA
http://michelequigley.com
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mommy4ever Forum All-Star
Joined: April 08 2011 Location: Canada
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Posted: Aug 16 2012 at 2:17pm | IP Logged
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So, in effect, they were using the wrong term..lol
There would be copyright on the artistic elements that were put together, and any intellectual information you added to it. If it's a planner, and you have included suggestions for chores, or neat quotes. The compilation of those is copyrighted, but not so much the actual tables of weekly/monthly calendars itself.
But their claim was their table was patented as it was 'so unique'. I really wish I could find that old planner as it was almost identical. LOL
__________________ Mom to 4,
1 graduated June 2012
1 in Catholic school
2 homeschooled(one considering art school!)
ardently praying for a new addition to our family.
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MicheleQ Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 23 2005 Location: Pennsylvania
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Posted: Aug 16 2012 at 2:34pm | IP Logged
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Yes and I would say "show me the patent" because it's my understanding that patents are not that easy to get.
__________________ Michele Quigley
wife to my prince charming and mom of 10 in Lancaster County, PA USA
http://michelequigley.com
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