Copyright

[Jacqueline F.]

Does anyone know where I can find a simplified version of the copyright rules and/or guidelines? I want to print them in our guild newsletter and on our website.

I have friends that say if it is on the Internet it is free. Or I am only using it for myself. Or even I am just a small person and the company or person I am getting the idea from (example: Disney figure) won't spend the money to come after me, so I can use it without fear.

Thanks

[Jacqueline F.]

http://www.paulrapp.com/articles.php
I picked up this link some while ago, and it will be worth a read.

The main thing I came to the conclusion about with copyright is, even if the idea is available on the net is 'Do not make/copy the items for sale for personal gain without permission' Even if it is to raise funds for a charity it is better to check & ask for permission. And DO put in the proper designer's name where possible - DO NOT pass off other people's ideas as your own!

However if you just want to make one version for your personal use, that is usually not a problem., But it is still considerate to ask, if it does not make it clear on the article you are reading. Magazine articles are put out there for people use their designs for personal use only, and so too are a lot of the tutorials that are available in 'blogland'.

As for the internet - Not everything is free, some people are using it as a shop front to sell their ideas/designs/patterns. They are trying to make money to pay their bills the same as you and me. Do you want to spend hours working on a pattern for sale, only for someone else to take credit and/or money for it?

It is positively awash with pirated design ideas, lots of people will come across an idea/picture that they like, take a copy of it, forget where it came from, put it on their blog to talk about it and so on and so on..... Some of the pictures are licenced and particularly museums suffer from loss of revenue because of the pirating.
And don't be surprised that the curators/designers are also computer savvy and will notice when their pictures are used elsewhere without permission on the web.

As for Disney not coming after a single person using their motifs for charity makes, think again. I don't recall any detail but I am sure that I have read stories to the contrary, and they come down on anybody who infringes their 'rights' like a ton of bricks. As for other independant companies/designers, they probably won't come after you because they cannot afford to, because they lack the income due to theft!

[Susan B.]

If we use the search function in the Forum, there are 181 links to Copyright right here. This topic has been pushed around a lot, especially when it comes to quilt and embroidery designs.

Personally, I wouldn't touch a Disney design with a 10 foot pole. Like Rosemary, I "heard" of tales of that company going after individuals.
After a big brew-aha about Rose of Sharon designs awhile back, I read original packaging carefully, to see if my purpose is covered. If not, I ask. People are more than willing to respond.

[Hannelore N.]

It is also important to remember that something as traditional as a 9-Patch block is copyright free, but the photo somebody took of it is not. So, only share photos that somebody else took, with the photographers permission.

[Hannelore N.]

Agreeing with everyone. I was inspired by a photo I saw on-line which helped me firm up my design for my son's comic strip quilt. Now, i greatly "tweaked" the design and did not copy it directly, BUT one of the central ideas came from this photo. I tracked down the original place it was posted (the owner's flickr stream, though it had been all over blogs/Pinterest by the time I saw it) and wrote her a note on Flickr, explaining what I wanted to do, and could I show a picture of her quilt on my blog so that I could show where my inspiration came from (linking back to her flickr page for credit). She was completely fine with the idea, and glad I asked.

On the flip side, moda bake shop not too long ago featured a project that was inspired by something else which had been largely featured in magazines, etc. and while the original designer who did the project for moda did credit her inspiration on her own blog, Moda originally did not (it was the paint chip placemats, if you saw those). I commented they should credit the etsy shop where the idea came from; Moda/the designer did go back and add in the link. I felt it was awfully ironic of them since they mention in several places that the designs on *their* website are copyrighted & belong to the individual designers, yet they either didn't realize/care to include proper credit themselves. Several in the comments argued with me about the necessity, saying these were "different enough" that it wasn't necessary......I'm just glad Moda did go back and put the crediting link in.

Definitely something to be careful of, and like everyone has said, for personal use is usually okay and if you take the time to ask, most designers will say exactly that.

Good for you, by the way, putting this in your guild newsletter/website; I think it's great you are helping to set things straight for others.

[Anne B.]

I've worked in publishing for 30 years--since before there WAS an Internet. The law is clear: NOTHING on the Internet is copyright-free unless the owner specifically says it is. It doesn't matter how much you change something--if someone can recognize what inspired your work, you have violated copyright.

Thank you for putting this kind of thing in your guild newsletter. It makes me crazy every time I hear a quilter say, "Oh, I'm not making any money on it, and I changed a few elements, so it's fine." It's NOT fine.

[Anne B.]

Hi all!

I've been playing with Pinterest lately, and I'm shocked at how many quilts are posted with nothing crediting the original maker/designer. I try to hunt the info down, and Pin It myself with the credits added. But here's one that's really bugging me.

Can you help? Who made this? I know I've seen this gorgeous quilt before, on TQS, I think. Please take a look at the URL below and help me with my abysmal memory

http://jbe200quilts.tumblr.com/post/...rn-quilts-home

Ciao a tutti!

[Margo C.]

Lisa, I don't know who made that quilt, but it is obviously based on the pattern by Judy Mathieson.

http://www.judymathieson.com/Judy_Ma...Quilts.html#15

She was the featured artist in show #http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/shows.php/episode/707

[Margo C.]

Oh yes, Judy! I knew I'd seen it before. Thanks Margo. Now I've gotta get back to sewing, before I run out of time! I can fix the Pinterest thing (or at least put it on my "Craftsalittle" page with the credits, so it's visible somewhere on that site), in the airport tomorrow, when I can't sew, lol.

[Eileen K.]

That's one reason I haven't bothered with Pinterest. It's too easy for things to slip under the radar when it comes to copyright.