Hi:
I'm new here but wanted to respond to this...I belong to a couple of lists that do mystery quilts and there have been issues with the copyright question on those lists.
What the designer of some of these quilts suggested is this:
If you find a quilt pattern you like, you can generally make up to 3 or 4 of them to give as gifts without infringing on the designer's right to exclusivity.
If you want to make up to, say, 15 of these quilts or potholders or totes or bags or whatever, to sell at a craft fair, it is wise to write or otherwise contact the designer of the pattern and ask for permission to do so. Many people will gladly give you permission to sell them at craft fairs or farmer's markets or the like as long as you limit the number of items you make and sell. Some will ask that you include where you got the pattern on a piece of paper or something similar that will accompany the item when you sell it. Some will charge a small fee for making any to sell - others will only ask that you pay them a "royalty" if the number you sell goes over a certain amount.
Anyhow, the point she made was that it takes time and effort to design a pattern and that if you buy it and then use it to make things to sell without asking for - and getting - permission first, it's like stealing. This particular designer puts in writing on her patterns that you can make up to 3 of her patterns and give them as gifts in addition to making however many you want for personal use without violating the copyright on her items. She doesn't grant permission to make any to sell at all.
It all depends on the reason for making the pattern...and the mindset of the person making and selling it. It would be best, I'm thinking, to check with the patternmaker and see what their feelings are about you using their patterns.
Trisha in MO