An idea, technique or a method can not be copyrighted. What is copyrighted is the writing of it. You can write it in another way to explain it, in your words.

Elenore can only copyright her instructions, not the technique the chain piecing in itself. The same applies to strip piecing, which is a techinque.

not to mention that chain piecing has existed since 10 minutes after the first machine got treadled...factories have done this forever and my mother taught me when i was 10.... 55 yrs ago...heaven knows how long she (and probably her mother) had been doing it...

Rosy is right - you can't copyright a technique.

When something has a copyright on it. That is it. The students must be required to buy the book, unless they have written permission from the copyright owner. Artists have been fighting over this forever. People copy their paintings, they can be sued, and are. I had an art teacher suing another person, for copying one of his paintings almost perfectly.

I will be watching this thread, too. In this age of " sue happy" one does have to be careful. Like Tartan said, it is kind of sad that everything is about money & ownership.

Eleanor certainly didn't invent strip or chain piecing. She's done a nice job of teaching it, and popularizing it. But she can't "own" the technique. She can own the books she's written. She can trademark and copyright her specialty rulers. But you and I are free to show a friend how we did the technique.

When it comes to a shop and teaching a technique -- it gets tricky. Obviously, they want to sell the books and make some profit there. But I personally will not pay for an expensive book, plus the class, and the supplies (sometimes mandated to be purchased at the shop).

I think it gets interesting when people try to copyright a pattern that is very basic -- so simple that you can see by looking at it exactly how to construct it. They may choose to sell a pattern or a tutorial, and they can copyright their pattern or blog or articles in magazines. But legally, they can't copyright the block. Because I am fairly experienced and can draft my own patterns, I very rarely purchase patterns. Recently I have bought patterns occasionally, only to be very frustrated by the poor techniques, inaccurate yardages, and basically poor writing. It's pretty annoying -- shelling out $10 I could have spent on fabric, to get shoddy directions for something simple enough to do improvisationally. I do try to give credit when I use someone else's ideas or basic design, even to say "inspired by __ by __". But I think I'm pretty much done buying patterns and books.

How timely - I just ran across this "How copyright affects the quilter". Maybe it will help...

http://www.canadianquilter.com/pdf/Copyright.pdf

Rosy is right. Technique can NOT be copyrighted. In the case of the art teacher suing over a copied painting, his suit was over the picture that the painting was, not HOW it was done.

I can't post the instructions or pictures how to make a Four Patch Posey from the bought pattern but I can post pictures or video of me making it. Many designers have rules that are printed right under the copyright but rules are not law and that is where a lot of confusion comes in to play. Art is a whole different kettle of fish.