What are your copyright questions?

I mentioned before that I’m taking a copyright course right now.

Do you have any questions for me? I have a chance to ask a person who is a specialist in copyright.

Now’s your chance!

There is so much misinformation out there about copyright - and I’d love to help combat that. I’d love for us to be an “educated group of people”!

I did find a really good article here about those words on the selvage of quilt fabric. This a biggie for many people - this isn’t part of that class - just a good article!

For Personal Use Only: Restrictive Clauses in Craft Patterns

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What are some of the strange things you’ve heard?

I’ve read these - very recently!

• You can only use a pattern once!

• You can’t loan a book to a friend to use - each person has to buy his/her own.

• You can copy a pattern as long as it’s for a friend or for charity

• A guild can buy one pattern and share it to all the members as long as it’s for charity.

• One time I read where a designer claimed that if someone used her pattern and won a prize, they were supposed to split the prize money with her.

But are these things true?

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But is there anything you’d like to know - really know? Here are some sample question you might be curious about -

• Can we buy one pattern and share it in our guild? What about if it is for charity?

• Can a teacher make multiple copies of a paid pattern for each student?

• Can I tear up a quilt book/magazine with a bunch of patterns in it and sell each pattern separately?

• Is there any difference between a physical copy or a digital copy?

• Can someone restrict how many quilts I make from their pattern?
  
  

Copyright is actually pretty messy, but not ALL of it is. If there are questions you have, just put them here, and I’ll do the research with my class I’m taking and come up with answers for you - as best as I can anyway. Some answers have never been answered - but many have. Some of the most sticky ones appear to be decided on a case by case issue - which is why they are so unclear.

But if you have questions, ask away. I’ll see if the law actually answers them - not folklore or old wive’s tales! Research might take a while, and I won’t have the answer post next week, but I’ll be working on finding out the “legal” answers to them. I will also answer them according to US law, which can be different from EU, UK, Australian or other country’s laws. That’s because most people reading here are US citizens.

I know that many people do not like copyright - they hate talking about it. I am actually intrigued by it - and have been ever since I first heard about the laws in a class I took eons ago in college.

I’ve known there were copyright laws, and copying things with a copy machine was frowned on when I was young. But times have changed - it’s a whole lot easier to make a copy than it used to be. But “lore” and “fact” are sometimes (often) different. Sometimes we hear things we don’t want to hear. I’d like to remove emotion from the discussion.

People are all over the place on this issue.

It seems to be MOSTLY the designers vs. the everyday person. I don’t think it has to be. So, feel free to ask your questions - and I’ll see what we can dig up as answers as to what is the LAW.

Please put them in the comments.

Thanks!

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Be sure to check out what my sis has for you in the store!

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