"Dear Jane" is a trademark. there's a difference.
i don't have to claim what is mine. others already know it isn't theirs. :lol:
there are hundreds of block designs in the public domain. under some conditions, designers have won in court when their [i]quilt/i]designs were based on one or more of those blocks. for the mostpart, though, if your layout is based exclusively on blocks from the public domain you'd be hard-pressed to prove the design is protected by law. however, the pattern, the instructions, any images you make or take, etc. are protected.
the argument rages fueled by those who want to do as they please with no consideration of ethics. it's called rationalization.
a well-meaning person will always come down on the side of courtesy and just-in-case until they feel they have done enough research into copyright issues. that's called being a good egg. ;-)