It is exactly like music. Everytime a record is played on TV or radio that station pays ASCAP or BMI money for playing that music. That's why its illegal for kids to download from underground sites for free and listen and pass on music because the people who made the recordings are being cheated out of their just payment. The designers make their money by charging us a price to USE their pattern for our own quilts. It is illegal for me to give you a copy of the pattern or make a quilt from the pattern to sell. That is making money off someone else's Intellectual Property. However, if I design a quilt and it uses a new block I came up with plus some old timy blocks, I can get a copyright on the entire design. No one really "gives" you a copyright. You go on line fill out the form and submit it with your money and you have your copyright.