I'm so sorry for what I'm about to write but I have to stand on my soap box and get this of my chest. As you all know I am a member of a quilting group and where we meet there are lots of other craft groups that meet in the same area. Twice a year they get together and have a craft fair to sell some of the things they make. I think this is a great idea and I have brought a few things at these fairs as well as in the little shop that they have. I love to see that there are so many talented people in my area and I like to support them when I can.
So to day I went to help with the setting up of the Christmas fair and WOW what a lot of great things to buy. As I was helping, I notice that some one had taken a pattern that I have seen around as well as seeing the end product on a few of your blogs. Any way in this pattern I know was written for personal use only, but this person had made quite a few of them and was going to sell them.
Now this is where I have a problem I personal think she should not be allowed to sell them. Am I just being rude or do you think the same? I think it is wrong to make money from some one else idea and I know this happened to some one else not long ago . Now maybe this person did not understood what she was doing was wrong. So here in lies my problem what should I do?
I think it should be brought to the committees notice so they can put in place safe guards to stop this from happening again. I will now get of my soap box thanks for listening .
Big Hugs Bec
I totally agree. Although I don't know the particular copyright laws in every country, in the US they are very clear. (and still people violate them in much the same fashion you've described).
ReplyDeleteI took a class for a handbag once, and a fellow student said she was going to be making a lot of the bags to sell. I told her that it wasn't legal, and that she should contact the hand bag pattern designer for permission or a licensing agreement. Although I was polite, she didn't seem to care, and ignored me. I'm sure she went off to mass produce that handbag to sell.
I design patterns, myself. I wouldn't have a problem with it, so long as someone asked first. It think it goes way beyond legalities...I think it's courtesy, too.
I agree, if you ask the designer first and she/he says ok, then ok but do give them credit. If not, well leave it alone and make your own design.
ReplyDeleteLets all play the game fairly, if you don't you might have to take your bat and ball and go home!!
Lizzie
XXX
You already know my feelings on this , gggrrrr.
ReplyDeleteYes I would notify the commitee .
I guess I would give the person the benefit of the doubt and assume she had gotten permission from the pattern designer. However, you may wish to put something in writing for your future Christmas fairs. Something to the effect of all items brought to the fair must be original designs of the sellers, unless the seller has WRITTEN permission from the pattern designer. If you've got something like that as part of the paperwork for your fair, you can feel more comfortable talking to people who are violating copyrights.
ReplyDeleteThis is tricky. One person could have seen the design made up somewhere, maybe even received it as a gift or bought it, then adapted it to suit herself, then moved it on to someone else who in turn changed it a little and so on.... eventually it goes full circle quite by accident. So many designs are adaptions of another and as the saying goes "There is nothing new under the sun". As a designer myself it is so hard when I spend months or years on a design only to find out much later that it had already been done somewhere else in the world. I'm not agreeing with the practice of "ripping off" someone else's design, just accepting that it happens and not always deliberately.
ReplyDeleteAre we talking selling the pattern or the finished article.
ReplyDeleteCopyright is quite a complicated issue. If you sell a finished article I think you must credit the designer. To sell a pattern though you must aask permission and a percentage of the proceeds must go to the designer. If she is selling the pattern without permission then she is breaking the law. It's as simple as that. I would alert the committee and ask that she explains herself.
Love and hugs Gina xxx