Yeah. And it's not only evil doers who might facilitate copying/distribution of digital plans. Who among us wouldn't like to see how the TW28 or CS25 goes together, or reference a few sets of plans in detail while deciding on which boat to build. We could always rationalize that since we aren't building the boat, it doesn't matter. Or say someone is having difficulty with an aspect of a build, and someone helps by referring to a transmitted set of plans. Nothing nefarious going on, but all of the sudden you've got an extra copy of plans out in the digital sphere.Evan_Gatehouse wrote:You just have to look at the history of music and now video file sharing. Once information is in digital format it becomes very easy to 'share'.
By only providing large size paper plans, the barriers to changing it into digital form is much higher. Few people are likely to scan a bunch of D-size drawings and lend them to a friend or distribute them over the internet. Fewer still will hire an Autocad drafter to reproduce them... If all it takes is clicking 'Send' then the chance of Bateau losing control of their intellectual property is much higher.
I think there's also a misconception that what you're buying is only the license to build a boat. This might technically be the business model bateau is using, but the value of the plans is in the plans. To be honest, the value of the plans I have far exceeds the cost I paid. I think licensing each build is a way for bateau to recoup some of that value, and maintain a viable business. But make no mistake, it's the plans themselves that need to be protected, not just the licensing aspect.
Yes, because of my prior jobs and whatnot, I know who and where to go to get stuff printed in large format. But it's priceless to have the papers in front of you. Yes, on some things, digital is great, too. But for a Phantom, a TW28, Nina, etc... 
