Yes, watchmakers are on the whole passive aggressive. Finding the right place to bend the harspring is fustrating.
Back in the first year of the popularization of the term 'internet' someone asked me if I knew what is was. I said it was a new way of communication, something as revolutionary as the road or the wheel.
I told the that. Like a road information can be transferred openly. On the other hand one can charge tolls for the information to travel. Or they could build walls to keep the information private. Information can also be stolen or traded. That it might be possible that wars could even be fought over it. -- I always though that was a good prophesy, Although I did beleve Lee Feldenstien, who said "Information wants to be free."
I miss the parametric search method. A lot of the 'pages' were still up, over 10,000 of them on Archive.org. when I last looked. That though is based on popularity. So if the pages are not being served to pass through what ever section of the network that is being sniffed, they are never archived. Similarly bad links what get clicked onto tend to get archived. Some of this possibly intentionally done as a way to re-write history.
IP data is a strange beast. There are many who believe in profiting from control of information. This is how media like films and television are funded. Books and other ephemera to a lesser degree. Rare items are more valuable than the common stuff.
Back in the golden age of collecting. The groups had publication committees. There were publishers like Harvey Rohel and Lauren Scanlon. Their mission was to share information. They also operated under ideas grandfathered before the 1970s. A lot of these books and things tend to 'borrow' a lot more than is currently acceptable. I always found it amusing that some of the hands on articles and columns in the American Horologer and Jewler, were replaced with a column called 'The Jeweler and the law.' The odds of winning a lawsuit are much better than winning the lottery. So the world is full of nuisance litigation.
Curiously when they got towards the end there was often 'young person,' who became their 'Friend.' However when they inherited or purchased the the IP, from the estate, such was sold off to IP clearing houses, who's mission is to keep the data as a large portfolio what can be used for collateral when borrowed against. So they could write intimidating ceist and desist letters. I think Roy O. Disney perfected this model. Removing access toe films/books/audio, for a period of 7 years. Since it was rare, people were willing to pay more to see it again. When one needs more funds, dust off the old stuff and rent it again. At the same time they bury the old stuff, because the 18 to 25s who have the discretionary impulse income are told they only want "Brighter, new and improved stuff."
This is why Amazon, owns half the MGM back catalog (post 1970s) and Warner (or what ever they are called this week. Is it now max?) Own the other half. At one time Netflix had the stuff that was in quasi public domain and shown on TV. Amazon got it then after a year it all became 'unavailable' again. (and I have been in the mood to see Glynis John's 'Miranda' but can not.) And Amazon is out to gobble up all the IP they can. Remember they started as a book store, then a book publisher.
The same thing happens with patents and other innovation. It becomes about the quantity over the quality. When Kodak failed, the patent portfolio was broken up, I think Apple got a lot of it. Another company Alaris got the trademarks. Companies are valued by their patent portfolios. Especially the bio tech ones.
Companies also now rely on 'Trade Secrets.' Which is basically Snake oil. No one really knows how much potato squeezings their are in relationship to seawater.
Look at something like the Omega archives. How they were abused to create desirable 'collectable' 'lost' examples. Also look at the number of inquiries for valuation here.
Curiously things like the Bestfit catalog, which was a loss leader had the copyright clawed back, by a struggling material house.
Personally I admire what you have done to preserve what you can. It is not that much useful for me though than the archive.org snapshot or a google cache since it does not have a the parametric search capability. It is not the individual records, what are valuable, It is how the records are accessed.
OEM manufactures also do not like it when one can see what other products the base models are used for. Old factories are often bought and sold, which is even more of the accounting obfuscation of the 'Trade secret.'
The other issue is easy access to this sort of data also makes it easier for forgers and counterfeiters to fake stuff. So I can sort of see why
there is somewhat of an 'agenda.' Rocking the status quo can be damaging to some who perceive threats to power.
Many want to believe things are the same tomorrow as they were yesterday.
And who am I to tell them otherwise...
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