burlmeister

Yeah, it's been interesting. However, I think generally the "court of public opinion" is going in my favor...

Thanks guys for recognizing what is going on here. And just an update: Kickstarter is not removing the campaign, despite my filing a copyright complaint. And I'm slowly getting word out to blogs and so on that this design is not original. And lawyers have been contacted...

Thanks Weinerdog. I filed a copyright complaint with Kickstarter, but at least initially they declined to act. I also asked BoingBoing to remove their posts about this, and while they did modify and add to their posts, mentioning my pre-existing design, they didn't take the posts down.

Hey Crabwalker. Yeah, I know what you're saying, but this is kind of my signature product, even if it not my "best" product. As such, it is my brand identifier, and in fact it is on my business cards, the cover page of my website, and the cover of my "look book." If they stole another of my designs i might not care so much, but before these folks bubbled up my company was THE company that made "tree stump turntables." Silvan are muddying the waters, so to speak, and that is why copyright law exists in the first place. On the resources issue, I'm a small manufacturer too. And just because they don't have resources now doesn't mean they won't at the end of their Kickstarter or down the road. I will just do my best to make sure they don't get any resources from my design... But I understand your .02

At Crabwalker: not the point. I welcome any and all comers who are real competitors and who are doing their own thing. For instance, I love Woodsong, I love Vinyl Nirvana, and I love lots of bigger turntable makers. Go VPI! Go SOTA!, etc. To illustrate the point...I'm pretty sure I should name my next turntable design "Silvan Audio Workshop Record Spinning Machine!" What?! That's not fair?! There are an infinite number of new turntable designs out there, so nobody needs to knowingly copy somebody else's design (as is documented above).

Regarding ajxd's question above...and you'll forgive me if I don't see responses, as I don't do forums that much...this is a straight up rip-off of a design that I've been making and publishing since 2009: Barky the turntable. This is my trademark design, and while I understand it may not be for everybody, it is unique and it was the first commercially available working turntable of this sort (Jethro Tull's didn't work!). These Silvan folks are admittedly just taking my design and producing a commercial competitor, and they are probably learning that I'm not thrilled with that prospect. Exact same parts kit, same concept, only difference is wood type change (which I've done on occasion) and a different brand of spikes (but, importantly, still spikes, an important visual design element in my design). The original one can be seen at audiowood.com Unlike these folks, I am an authorized Rega dealer who can back up everything I sell with lengthy warranties, and I've made hundreds of turntables over the last 6 years, none of which have had to be repaired to date (other than a factory faulty arm lift on one that was easily replaced by the client with some phone assistance). I've notified the Silvan folks that they're infringing on my design, and as of now, they are persisting with their Kickstarter thing. I hope you folks will not support this sort of intellectual property theft in any way. Joel - Owner -Audiowood