Ruby2, You're not doing anything fraudulent by buying a used pattern; it's a transfer of ownership. As with most material goods that get re-sold, this does not undermine the business of the original producer - any more than buying a used car does. If you look at the spirit of the copyright law, it's to prevent direct competition with the seller. So, if you make a copy of a pattern and give or sell it to someone, you're competing with the company who is now unable to sell a new pattern to that someone. I originally thought the copyright law was to prevent clothing companies from using a pattern to produce garments, but now I see how sharing copies, especially of those patterns that are easy to photocopy (namely, quilt patterns) could bite into profits.