It is confusing!! i owned and operated a needlework shop for 15 years. At some of the conference i attended, we were told that anyone who bought Ie) a cross stitch pattern could make a copy for herself in order to keep the original nice. But to copy to avoind paying for it was wrong, because it deprived the designe of her rightful income. I believe it was Vicki wo brought up ruby Shor McKim's book. I have a Dover edition copyrighted 1961 (40 years after ruby published). In the intro of my book she explilciletly say you can copy them. "....and drafted patterns from which you can copy them." It sounds to me in the ea4liler part of the intro she's collected these patterns which had never been printed before--just passed on quilter to quilter. The table of contents lists has a section called "Original Quilt Designs" for which there are pictures but no pattern. Then comes the list of Patterns. If this is a book you would like to use, you can always email mckinstudios.com and asks who holds sthe copyright--them or Dover. Thanks for letting me put my 2cents in.