Fly Name And Design As Intellectual Property

Rob received a message from a fly tier accusing him of appropriating their intellectual property. His Etsy shop features a number of original flies as well as several inspired by others, with appropriate credit given when necessary. The sender of the messages has appeared on Rob’s podcast in the past, indicating they are not unfamiliar with one another. However, the tone of the messages lacked any reference to their prior interactions, making it seem as if they were meeting for the first time. Who holds the moral high ground in this situation? Is Rob profiting from someone else's work? Is the creator of the original flies asserting their rights over the design that Rob has tied? Is the original fly’s name appropriated from someone else and thus making the complaint analogous to the pot calling the kettle black? Should fly patterns be eligible for copyright protection? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices