Is it ok to copy a W5 head and make it better or are we just mad at Speedmaster

pittsburghracer said

A few months ago a well known small block head porter asked if anyone had a W5 head he could play with. Plan are to copy the W5 head and make some improvements. One of our members loaned him one and the project has began. Since I’m sure “Mother Mopar” had a patient on this what are our thoughts on this??? Everyone I’ve heard from has been excited about this deal but listening to so of our members over the last week have me scratching my head. Is it ok for one and not the other???

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It is my laymans understanding of copyright and patent law is that you cannot make an exact duplicate of something and sell it, or even give it away for free.

You can produce a similar product with some differences and sell it. Just because it performs the same function and is interchangeable, does not mean it is a patent violation. An improved cylinder head would not be a violation. An exact copy would be. Or a copy that carries a tradmark or design feature (think of the chrysler pentastar) would be violation even if it has other differences from the original.

Photocopied written material such as service manuals, wiring diagrams, templates etc, would be an exact copy and therefore a violation of copyright laws.

This is my understanding of the legal issues. The ethical and moral aspects of profiting from somebody elses' work is an issue that only each of us can decide for themselves. However America's success is largely founded on someone always finding a way to improve upon a previous product or process. "Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door" is how the phrase goes.

In a nutshell, I think most people would say make improvements are good and fair game, making copies is stealing.