Flower quilt block copyright
 

Good morning. My name is Paola and I am a fairly new quilt designer.
i am finding myself designing blocks lately with the fear that they might be copyrighted. I was wondering if anyone here could tell me how can I know or where to look besides using the quilt blocks dictionary.

Copyright is a little different for quilt world. Basically, if you can draw it and I can copy it, I am "fair use" to do it for myself.

BUT -- the Directions for how to do it can be protected under copyright. So you can't copyright a 9-patch, but for your technique or setting you can the directions.

As a reasonably talented person with graph paper, I can usually figure out whatever it is I see. When the reason I design it out is solely because of someone else's work -- I will buy the pattern. Elizabeth Hartman Hazel Hedgehog was one, and the Labyrinth Walk by the Guilty Quilter/Christopher Florence is another.

Note that "Fair Use" is personal, not business related. So I can't (legally) take your distinctive design and copy it and sell it.

correct, it is the instructions that are copyrighted, I can't remember if I've Ever seen a block I haven't seen before.

and people will steal your instructions anyway...you have to have a pretty thick skin in today's technology world.

I designed a quilt pattern in EQ and was very proud of myself. The pattern was simple and looked nice. I thought I'd make it and have it in the local quilt show. Imagine to my surprise I found the same exact pattern sold by a quilt designer. She designed it long before I did. I sent her an email and said I wasn't copying her design but wanted her to know I designed the same pattern before seeing hers. She wasn't surprised, said most quilt designers use EQ and it wasn't uncommon for the same pattern to be thought up.

Shattered is a good example. I can't think of her name right off, she is Australian and I believe her husband is an ambassador which is how she ended up in Egypt for so long. Anyway, it's just corn and beans block, been around since dirt was new, but she used fabric and color differently 10 or 15 years ago and the block just jumps. The name became associated with her.

But now if you do a search for Shattered quilt block they come up all over. Not particularly corn and beans block anymore but the Shattered name is no longer honored as her block.
Or the Swoon quilt which took over some years ago. Just the carpenter block, but she did things to it and got the word of mouth going and now more people know it by swoon than carpenter, but it's still the same old block :)

Design away, I hope you are most successful in your endavors. Can't succeed if you don't make the effort.

KalamaQuilts, you're thinking of Jenny Bowker, and maybe you meant Shimmer? I think it's the corn and beans block. I love her work. In fact I'm working on one of her quilt patterns right now.

I designed a very distinctive runner pattern. After posting it online to teach at the shop where I worked, I found the exact same design. I was afraid to sell my pattern due to copyright issues. I later found out my instructions were completely different and I could have legally sold my pattern. My understanding is: you can not use a copyrighted photo or instructions but you may have the same pattern. It was recommended that I mail a copy of the full pattern to myself and not open it when it arrives so if ever questioned I would have proof of when it was designed. I still don’t up what this would accomplish if ever taken to court.

mailing to yourself is a myth, please don't trust that old chestnut.

Paola, I forgot to say welcome, you can add a link to your webpage as a signature!