As long as you restrict it to facts, they are not copyrightable in the United States. The Supreme Court ruled on this back around 1992 or so. Only creative arrangement and descriptions can be copyrighted. (Before that, you could get a copyright based upon "sweat of brow". If it was hard to put the data together, you could get a copyright. But in this case, which was based around whether telephone directories were copyrightable, the Supreme Court threw out the "sweat of brow" doctrine.) So Nikon's user manuals are copyrighted (although you have to wonder why they wouldn't want as wide a distribution of this info as possible), but their descriptions of specifications are absolutely not. Their photographs are, although since they post photos for use by the press on their website, I would say (although I'm no lawyer) that their positing implies permission to use those photos.

If you want a model for a pretty good application, look at the Mactracker.app, which I think you can download for free.

However, there are far fewer Nikon models than Mac models over the course of time. Personally, I just keep all the info in a spreadsheet. I have a page for bodies and a page for lenses. I have virtually every body Nikon ever released, but I only track lenses since the advent of AF.

There are also several books that cover this ground:
1. Nikon Rangefinder Camera: An Illustrated History.... Robert Rotoloni (Hove) August 1983
2. The Complete Nikon Rangefinder System by Robert J. Rotoloni and Chris Coleman (Hove) 2007
3. The Complete Nikon System: An Illustrated Equipment Guide by Peter Braczko (Silver Pixel Press) 2000
4. The New Nikon Compendium by Simon Stafford, Hillebrand & Hauschild (Lark Photography) 2004
5. Nikon: A Celebration by Brian Long (Crowood) 2006

I haven't read it, but there's also:
6. The Nikon Camera in America 1946-1953 by Michael Wescott Loder (McFarland) 2008

Of course, all these books are only good for products released before the date of publication. But they're great for tracking older models. They each have their strengths and weaknesses and they each have their own set of errors and/or omissions.

TJ,

If it's just for yourself on a Mac, have a look at Bento (www.filemaker.com/products/bento/index.html).

It's a complete doddle to use, and will probably do everything you need. It's easy to share with other Mac/Bento users and can output to spreadsheet for others (subject to the potential copyright issues noted above).

It costs $49 but there is a free trial version where you can check out whether it's right for you.

TJGilbert21 said:
Oh, sorry.

It's okay!

If you were making a program on Nikon products, it would make sense to maybe get something from the manuals?

Oh, sorry.

TJGilbert21 said:
I understand that, but I did mention above that I would ask him first and that I would cite him.

By the way, NSXType-R, are you saying I copied one of Nikon's User Manuals? If so, I didn't; I just made it look similar (I happen to have the same font they use and thought it would be cool and fitting to make it look alike and therefore more realistic).

No, I'm not saying you're copying user manuals, I'm just wondering if it applies to that stuff too. It doesn't have anything to do with you.

I understand that, but I did mention above that I would ask him first and that I would cite him.

By the way, NSXType-R, are you saying I copied one of Nikon's User Manuals? If so, I didn't; I just made it look similar (I happen to have the same font they use and thought it would be cool and fitting to make it look alike and therefore more realistic).

I'm not saying his site is wrong. I'm saying it would be wrong for you to just take all of his data and put it into your own app.

Have you even been to his site? I have no idea what's so illegal about it. Never mind, though. It was a stupid idea.

Uh, they own the right to the name and logo. I thought you knew Roland so he will definitely have a problem if you use all the info he has researched and looked up in your app. It's as if I take your photos from your website and use them as a screen saver or desktop app. Even if I don't charge for it, distributing it freely online is still wrong.

This seems like a lot of trouble just so you can look up Nikon gear. Why not just use Google or just go to Roland's site when you need to?

Willis said:
Companies don't own the rights to information about their product... otherwise the Engadgets and Wikipedias, and just about every reference book business would be out of a job. I say go for it, then post it here so we can benefit :)

Okay, but what about reproducing something from their instruction manual? I'm pretty sure that's frowned upon or even illegal.

Companies don't own the rights to information about their product... otherwise the Engadgets and Wikipedias, and just about every reference book business would be out of a job. I say go for it, then post it here so we can benefit :)

Thanks. Unfortunately, I don't know Roland personally, I just meant that he has a list of every Nikon lens ever made, which would make my project a little easier to make. I would, of course, cite Roland and ask for his as well as anyone else's permission. Plus, I figure making this app shouldn't really be any different from Ken Rockwell or Photography in Malaysia, right? It's sorta like a website off the web.

There might be copyright issues with Nikon. And make sure you cite your friend Roland.

Good luck, I'm no lawyer, so you should ask WarPrints.

Haha, no I wouldn't attempt to sell it. :D It was really just for me.

Uh, Nikon might have a problem with this if you attempt to sell it.

Howdy, everybody! For a great few years now, I've had this masterplan to create an app for the computer (specifically Mac) that catalogued every single Nikon camera and lens (and perhaps other information) so I could have an easy, organized resource to reference when I need it. In my mind, it would act very similarly to Apple's Dictionary app, but it would be a Nikon Almanac/Encyclopedia.

Anyway, I don't know if anybody else would like something like that, but I do know I would love it. I would make it for myself, except that I don't know the first thing about programming. Is there anyone in this forum that is knowledgeable about programming and would be enthusiastic to bring my idea to life?

I'd greatly appreciate everybody's input. Tell me what you think! Here's a more detailed introduction to the software:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/26978113/Nikon-Almanac-Intro

It's not impossible to collect all the information either; I know this fellow, Roland (http://www.photosynthesis.co.nz/nikon/index.html ), already has a lot of it. Thanks for looking, you guys!

TJ