Another copyright question...
I asked this on another thread but it was the wrong place:
1. If I copy a block, such as "Swoon" in EQ7 and make a quilt with it, am I infringing on someone's copyright? Am I obligated to send them money? (I'm just using this as an example as it's a fairly distinct pattern.)
I ask this because I've been drawing a lot of blocks in EQ7 and doing a lot of different versions of coloring them.
How am I to know if I've got something that is copyrighted somewhere? I have no plans to sell any patterns but this question has been bothering me. I may get inspiration from a block I see, then fool around with it and end up with another block that is copyrighted.
When I was learning to quilt I make a quilt in a class. We all used the same pattern and similar fabrics. Someone I knew said that it was nice but she had designed her own quilt and (because she doesn't sew and never quilted) "just" had someone sew it for her. She said she even picked out her own fabrics. This was meant to be a left-handed compliment (given the source) but I just bit my tongue! What I'm guessing happened is that she saw a quilt she liked, asked someone if they could make it but add more of a certain block or something, then went with the woman to a quilt shop and selected the fabrics with her. I don't consider that she "designed" the quilt anymore than my picking out the colors and options for a new car means that I designed the car. (Okay, maybe that's a little much, I admit.)