to all,
i've copied the following PM here with PatriceJ permission. please read because it dramatically effects the way the Cyber Party can operate.
From: PatriceJ
Subject: Some Clarification
i'm aware of the current dust-storm surrounding Dear Jane. as I've told Shadow, i feel partially responsible. i didn't understand fully what you planned to post and haven't checked meticulously to make sure we stayed within safe boundaries.
because my initial research confirmed your assertion that independent discussion and tutorials can be found all over the internet i relaxed a bit too much. in doing more research i noticed that whenever one finds a commercial offering of things related to Dear Jane, the phrases "Dear Jane is a registered trademark" and "used with permission" are consistently and clearly noted.
i'm not a lawyer. i can't afford a lawyer. i prefer to err on the side of caution. so, i ask that you modify the activity a bit in the following ways to keep us all safe and sound.
(1) don't post any patterns or tutorials for any blocks unique to the Dear Jane quilt. photos of finished blocks are still fine. i also don't see any reason you couldn't talk about some of the techniques needed to complete a block successfully - as long as the result isn't a tutorial for that block.
(2) don't use the Dear Jane software to create printable files for blocks also obviously in the public domain. if you import those blocks from the Dear Jane software into EQ the resulting files do not bear the trademarked Dear Jane name.
make sure to mention often - throughout each individual topic - that participants in the BOM are required and expected to purchase the book and/or software.
just to be super-safe we're going to delete the patterns. in the unlikely event i stumble across anything else that makes me nervous i'll delete that, too. DO NOT TAKE IT PERSONALLY.
this is merely a technical correction for safety's sake. we live and learn. we make mistakes. we try our best to fix them and move on.