Can I copy someone elses design?
Designs have been copied for many, many years. The Bob Loveless 4 drop hunter is probably the most copied knife of all of the handmade knives. A very large number of makers have copied this knife for several reasons. It is a very good looking knife and it just looks right. Many people have seen this knife and it has been imprinted in their minds as how a knife should look. Some consider copying a design as a way to honor the designer, others do it just because they want to. In general it is hard to come up with new designs since knives are all basically just a handle and a blade. Coming up with new designs is difficult because those that made knives before we did were so creative. Copying a design is generally frowned on but copying a style is not as bad. Trying to make an exact copy of the Loveless knife would be frowned on but the basic shape of the knife would not. If you make a knife that looks similar to another makers knife, give that maker a credit for the design. Here is a pict
