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Old 04-11-2012, 09:15 AM
  #44  
dixie_fried
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Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Louisville, KY
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Originally Posted by Silver Needle View Post
I am interested in making quilts for resale and a former legal secretary so copyright law was important for me to nail down. After extensive Internet research I have learned 1) it is infringement if you make a paper copy and give it to someone else to use. 2) it is infringement to sell a quilt made from a pattern without the creator's permission. 3) the presence or absence of the copyright symbol does NOT negate infringement. It is a simple matter to contact the creator and get permission. I now check with the creator for permission before purchasing patterns. Most have given permission, but some have declined which is their right. I just don't buy their patterns. It was suggested when doing show and tell at a guild it would be nice if you gave the creator of the pattern credit along with the long arm quilter if one was used. 4) A quilt pattern is intended for you to make for your personal use unless stated otherwise. If the creator really wanted to push it and was aware you made 5 quilts from the pattern and gave them to family members it would be infringement. If you kept all 5 at your house for their use it is not infringement. However, I would think this unlikely. 5) I also just learned it is infringement if you donate the quilt. So now I need to contact the creator of the pattern of a quilt made in a class because I intended to donate it for a raffle to benefit our local volunteer fire department. Now I will be asking about this when taking classes. Life is complicated when you try to follow the rules isn't it.
Cheryl--
Please recheck your facts.
Patterns are copyright protected. They cannot be copied and given away or sold.
Once you pay a designer for the pattern, the product that is made from that pattern is NOT copyright protected. You can make 9 billion of the same thing and do whatever you want with them--the designer cannot do a thing about it.
Utility items like clothes, quilts, etc are not eligible for copyright protection. What is protected are the written words that explain the process and any associated photographs/illustrations. Not the end product!
Read about it here:
http://www.copyright.gov/title17/

Last edited by dixie_fried; 04-11-2012 at 09:30 AM. Reason: grammar
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