Copyrights?
 

What are the rules on sharing a magazine article/pattern? Am I breaking the law to photocopy a series of quilt patterns for someone? (The magazines in question are over 10 years old.)

I suppose that is one solution, but didn't really want to disassemble these mags. (I guess I'm sentimental, after having subscribed for 30 years.)

Contact the magazine and see what they say.

You're not supposed to make copies of magazine pages without permission. You could loan the magazine to this person and get it back when she's done with it. What's the pattern involved? It's possible that there's a free version somewhere.

Yes you are breaking the copyright laws if you copy the patterns to share.

I agree. You should not be photographing any pattern or magazine pages.

people sell copies of patterns out of magazines all the time on Ebay. So anything goes these days, evidently.

I would contact the magazine and ask them. You may be surprised at how generous they can be if you only ask. I did with a pattern that was free in the magazine and asked permission to use it for our programs at our guild. I was so happy that the magazine and the pattern designer said yes I could use it for teaching at our guild, with the stipulation it was not to be sold. They said they always appreciated it that someone thought to ask permission first, even thought the pattern was free at one time.

I would see if I could Google the pattern/name of the quilt. If there's a pattern link for it then send the link. For myself, I always Google first.

No, people sell actual pages from the magazines on eBay. If they're caught selling copies they're booted off eBay.

My feeling is if I feel bad about how something is done then I don't participate.

Check inside the magazine where the names of the editors are listed along with subscription information, etc. One of the magazines I used to get included permission to photocopy articles and so on. Sorry, I do not recall which magazine it was.

Make a copy and sent it. No one is going to come after you. Do you seriously think that the magazine is concerned about the little guy making a copy and sending it to a friend?

There is always a right way and a wrong way. Usually depends on your conscience, rather than law.

I see used magazines and books for sale in thrift stores, garage sales and even my local library. So sell it to her for a penny and she can return it later to you for a refund.

No way would I send one of my magazines to someone; experience tells me that IF it was returned, the condition would be severely compromised . Give her the name of the magazine and month, year and she can try to find it used on line. When I really want a pattern, this is what I have done to obtain it and then I can enjoy the entire magazine and frequently find other patterns for my enjoyment.

Dunster is right, they only sell the actual pages torn for the magazines!!

Your friend might be able to get a back copy from the magazine publisher or even find one on ebay. That way she would have her own copy.

I agree that for me it is more about my conscience and doing what it right. I've known a couple of pattern designers and have seen how hard they work to develop print and distribute their patterns. It's not fair to them to make copies and give them away. The ones I knew weren't making an fortune and my $$$$ paid for their pattern really helped them out.

People also drive speeding down the road all the time -- not me, of course ;)

I agree with those who've suggested having her try to find one on eBay or such. Another option that's legal would be for you to make a copy of the pattern yourself. Then, give your friend the magazine & the "personal copy". When she's done using it, she should either return both to you or destroy the copy. It would mean you would not have any copies of the pattern for a bit, but hopefully if you give the magazine to a trusted friend in a sealed plastic bag, you will receive it back in the same condition ...it's still a bit of a risk, but not as much as if you only gave her the magazine.

You can legally sell the pages. It is your magazine and you can do with it what you want, but you CAN NOT photo copy and SELL the copy of the pattern. Big difference. You can give away anything you want to.
You also can not teach a class and give away the pattern.
This should not be a matter of conscience as it is legal.

If something is readily available to purchase, I am in favor of buying one's own copy.

How can one honor a copyright if the item is not available any more?

I don't feel any guilt about receiving or copying a quilt pattern that is no longer available to buy anywhere. If the designer/offspring/publisher wanted the profits it should be available to buy.

What I do is to make copies of anything I'm interested in keeping, then I pass the magazine in it's entirety along to any of my quilting buddies who might want it. I then store the patterns I've printed out in those plastic pouch pages in a binder. When you have limited space, that takes up less room than keeping the whole magazine. The ONLY exception is my 100 blocks magazines, which I keep myself. I have another binder for those.

It does seem a bit silly to say you can sell it to her, she pays you $1.00, then it is hers to make a copy for herself, she no longer wants or needs the magazine so she sells it back to you for $1.00. As long as you are not doing it for a profit, you make the extra copy for yourself, oops, you don't want the copy any more so give it to your friend.

It is nice to be concerned but you are not making 15 copies and teaching a class on it. Make the copy and don't worry about it. A friend & I work together all the time to understand a pattern if we are having trouble. I don't feel a need to pay extra for a pattern, or pay the quilt shop where we bought the pattern but didn't sign up for a class. There are too many videos on the internet that are free and we have a good time working together.

(The project in question is a series quilt in 10-year-old magazines, so I know the pattern is not on the market.)
Thank you to everyone who shared.

Like another poster said, I wouldn't lose sleep over copying one pattern from an old magazine.

I have this question too. Does anyone know?

Contact the copyright holder. At the end of the day, though, it is still their design even if they are not publishing it at the moment. Sometimes a design will go out of publication for a time, but with enough interest will be republished. The thought is that if potential customers are getting the design for free, they will not be motivated to encourage the publisher to re-publish the design for people to purchase.

I do on occasion find that a copyright holder truly has no desire to republish & will grant permission to make copies of their design free of charge.