Post #699973 by AceExplorer on Wed, Nov 20, 2013 8:16 AM

So, can I side-track for a moment? What if the original is too big, too heavy, or too poorly made for salvage or restoration to be feasible for anyone to undertake. Are the designs of these old things copyrighted? Is it ok preserve the design instead of preserving the original molecules of the first object?

We have better materials today - lighter and stronger. Would it be a faux pas to copy the design onto new material, perhaps adjusting the size, and thereby accomplishing "preservation" in a different and non-traditional way?

I get the whole thing about preserving the original. But I'm just wondering if it's the best thing to break multiple piggy banks by resurrecting the original molecules when it may have been built with poor materials right from the start.

Please - no flames - just tossing out some thoughts for constructive discussion. I am curious to know, and I can't remember seeing discussion on this before.