It seems like people sue over nothing, and once again it shows that big Corp companies can stick it to the small/private local business owners that are just trying to make a few extra dollars. It reminds me of something that happened here last month that I found very weird, I was at the LQS to take a placemat making class, I've never made any and always wanted to and I'm new to sewing/quilting. So we all said that there were no patterns available up front in our class folders. She said well I told the owner 3 weeks ago to make sure they ordered them. The owner said they did but they're out of print and she couldn't get them. So the instructor asked her to photocopy the pattern that she had. I was wondering what was taking so long so I went up front - she had to call the woman that made the pattern to clear it with her that she could photocopy the original pattern. My only thought was who would know??
I guess in some ways it's a similar situation that other lady designed it and if I was to stick a bunch of them up on Etsy I could be sued since I'd be selling this woman's design without having the ok from her to use her pattern, I guess it would be similar to patent law - my BIL had to recently go to Congress because Apple was using something that he had a patent on and Apple and RIM didn't get his approval first.