All I can say is, thank goodness quilting has been around for 200 years before everyone got their knickers in a twist about "MY pattern", "MY design" etc. There are hundreds (even 1001!) patterns in the public domain that we can use, given to us by our very generous grandmothers and great-grandmothers, who loved to share patterns like real neighbors.

I will stick to those and don't need any copyrighted books to get ideas from, then I don't have to worry.

The line between public domain - whatever that is - and copyrighted material is where I am confused.

The Jane A. Stickle quilt popularized in the Dear Jane book is an example that I find very puzzling.

The Dear Jane author did not make that quilt - but seems to be profiting from another' s work. Is it because the maker has been dead a long time?

Question: Did the original article regarding copyright law reflect the laws in the US or Canada?

I tried to find a spot to ask that question but ran into locked threads. Thank you for opening another AND unlocked thread.

Pat

Canada. There are both similarities and differences between the copyright laws of the US and those of Canada, but the article was about Canadian law written by a Canadian designer.

the original article was primarily about canadian law.
the only reason i took that thread down was that we accidentally created more confusion than anything else.

this thread will stay open so long as we focus on trying to help each other with facts.

most of the law is very easy to understand and follow.
the two things that are most confusing - and for which straight answers are proving virtually impossible to find - are

1) whether we violate copyright law if we display something we made using a legally obtained copyright protected pattern. by "display" i mean entering in shows/exhibits, sharing photos of the things we made, and similar situations.
2) whether we can sell at least one thing (quilts, in our case) made using a legally obtained copyright protected pattern.

most of the reliable sources i've checked so far regard the resulting quilt as a copy of the pattern. keeping the quilt or giving it as a gift are generally "rated" as fair personal use. things get bogged down in gobbledygook when it comes to sale or/and display.

an answer i can understand is out there somewhere.
whether or not i will find it in this lifetime is yet another question. LOL

this copy right to me makes no sense except I would never photo copy a pattern and sell it I have been quilting since the late70's ad have hundreds of books and have hundreds of books and magazines and amazes me how many of these new patterns are spin offs and copy righted one that comes to me is TWISTER it originally came out under the name SQUARE DANCE I took the class that book had the pattern to make the pattern with template plastic new book comes with plastic templates for 3 times the price so as I say the only illegal thing I say I would not do is copy the pattern and sell it once purchased I consider it mine I paid for it and no different than buying apron or blouse patter

Beyond the brain ache I currently have. Unless it is something extremely special ( an Amy Bradley Babies quilt I'm making for a special Downs child in the family), if it says in any way, shape or form, copyright. I will not use it. Period. There are too many options now a days on the internet!!

"brain ache" does not begin to cover it. LOL

reminds me of the octopus ride at a carnival. LOL

But if we all stop buying copyrighted patterns, then the very instrument designed to protect the rights of the original designer is also the reason he/she will lose potential profit - wow, if that is not a catch-22 LOL

here are links to two fact sheets at the United States Copyright website.

the first addresses Fair Use.
http://copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html
i am not going to quote any part of it here because i really, really hope you will all go to read the whole thing.

the second addresses the subject of "useful articles."
http://copyright.gov/fls/fl103.pdf

the question of whether or not a quilt is properly categorized as a useful article [under US Copyright law] is pivotal.
if quilts are "useful items", things go off in one direction; if not, the path goes elsewhere.

the only other cloud [for me] is whether or not a quilt made from a pattern is a copy of that pattern.

i will resist the temptation to share my own opinion about these things because i really want this thread to remain focused on fact and helping each other track down reliable information from credible sources. i might break out in hives from the strain, but ... lip zipped. LOL