It was awesome to chat with Chris Garrett about 3D printing, Creative Commons, and Copyright law. Now, like I said in the podcast, I’m not a lawyer. But it is something that I have significant interest in, being both a design creator and a design seller.
However, legal discussion aside, I still think the best idea is to live by Wheaton’s Law. Don’t be a jerk. I remember listening to the PAX 07 keynote address by Wil Wheaton (warning, salty language) back in 07 immediately after it was delivered, and I would not be exaggerating to say, that hour changed my life. And while Wheaton was talking about it in the context of online gaming, it has been and can be applied to the world.
Don’t be a jerk.
Add to that, this: Ignore the jerks that are giving you reason not to do great things. Yes, if someone is a jerk to you, it hurts. But if you let that fear stop you from doing something and sharing it with others then they win twice. Instead, if someone is going to rip you off then clearly they see value in what you’re doing, so maybe there’s something worth pursuing there. You’ll never know if you don’t put yourself out there.
