Design copied?

Taking away the photos used because the watch design itself belongs to Mr Jones anyway..................I think OP needed to clarify that in the first post, it read like you designed the entire watch and did the CGI for the whole thing but in truth is the opposite. Don't get me wrong, it fits very nicely but the original post makes no mention or given credit for the existence of the current design that was used and in production at the time.

So essenntially:

OP's idea was 3 balls going round on different orbital on a white face.

Mr Jones' design is 2 balls going round on different orbitals in a black face.

I don't know, is the idea of balls going round in different orbitals an idea you can copyright?

Besides, if he replied within 10 minutes of your email then it is very unlikely he stole your idea. Otherwise he would have gone to consult his lawyers, come back to you in about 2 weeks with a more formal answer. It really does sound like his watch came from his own ideas and it just happened to ended up a little like yours.
 
Last edited:
The watchmaking equivalent of using a thesaurus to avoid getting caught for plagiarism.

e: Having read the whole thread, his response, and seeing that the colour on his watch evolves over time, I think he's being generous.
 
Last edited:
It doesn't require a massive leap of lateral creative thinking to go from "one disc to represent a hand" [i.e. Mr Jones' original Cyclops] to "two concentric discs to represent the usual two hands", frankly.

Copied? Nope. Inspired by? Nope. Two people following the same line of thought? Yup. Happens all the time [christ, no pun intended].

There's also the slightly thorny issue of Russ using the original Mr Jones image without permission, of course ;)

I'd take the 20% discount and consider it a result :)
 
Last edited:
It's more than just the dial, those lug offsets are unusual. The case design in combination with the time indicators makes it look like a simplified knock off the OP design.
 
You could probably have got a patent on it if no other watch maker had the idea already.

sucks to show stuff off when you have no way of protecting your idea.

you could have got a patent + kick starter and made a lot of money
 
There's more going on there than just the rotating circles. There's the shape of the face and the surroundings too, as well as the name. His email explanation is pretty weak.

If you can prove you designed that look originally, it's your intellectual property. Nothing to do with patents here.

Imo he copied it, and you should 100% seek advice from a lawyer - many give free advice, and if they think you have a strong case will even represent you just for a proportion of any winnings.
 
Raymond Lin said:
Taking away the photos used because the watch design itself belongs to Mr Jones anyway..................I think OP needed to clarify that in the first post, it read like you designed the entire watch and did the CGI for the whole thing but in truth is the opposite. Don't get me wrong, it fits very nicely but the original post makes no mention or given credit for the existence of the current design that was used and in production at the time.
Click to expand...

Yeah sorry, I didn't mention it because all their watches have identical surrounds and straps so it didn't cross my mind to, but of course I didn't link to their website either!
 
i'd buy yours his looks like a kids one.

if you get yours made ill buy it(asl ong as it's not isnaly expensive :p)
 
To me the concept is similar but the design is very different. Your design is automatically copyright of your own without doing anything. But the concept would need legal protection through a patent. You had a concept of indicating time through orbiting circle, he has coped that same concept. However, your design is very different to his.

Did you apply for and were granted a patent on your concept?

Either-way, if you want to take this anywhere you will need to find a good layers. Don't contact the watchmaking, any communication may be detrimental to your case, especially if it is aggressive or demanding.
 
I like your design of the face better, but he makes some lovely watches :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom