I am also a machine embroiderer and they are rabid about protecting their copyrights. I bet the pattern designers are the same. I bought a paper pieced pattern once and the directions said something about if you wanted to enlarge your quilt you had to buy the designs/papers again - I thought that was excessive, but they are protective and if it comes from you you are in trouble. The embroidery companies even employed people to go on online boards and such and hear what they could about sharing and such. This is serious stuff, a couple in Canada lost everything, from machines, to even being on a computer. Now that was years ago when I first started, but when people start messing with your livelyhood they will fight.