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I would verbally share, I've always thought copyrights to be copies(duplicates)
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It seems that there is always a lot of controversy surrounding the subject of copyright. Part of this might be due to the fact that there is no one universal copyright law, and there are some variations between the copyright laws of different countries. However, with very few exceptions, most countries around the world are signatories of international copyright agreements, going all the way back to the Berne Convention of 1886 and the Universal Copyright Convention of 1952 (under the auspices of UNESCO). As a designer myself I therefore refer to these agreements to understand my own author rights. And, as has already been stated here, copyright protects the "form" in which ideas are transmitted, and not the ideas themselves. To quote, "To be protected, a work has to be more than a mere idea. The distinction between protected works and ideas lies at the very heart of copyright law. The protection of a given work applies to the expressions of ideas that are contained therein. Accordingly, in order for copyright in a work to be infringed or violated, one has to copy the form in which the ideas are expressed. The mere use of ideas found in a work does not represent a copyright violation."
You can find more in-depth information on the subject (check out the links for several downloadable pdf files on the basics of copyright law) on the UNESCO website: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture...ies/copyright/ Hope this is helpful... |
Originally Posted by Tartan
(Post 4846485)
I can't begin to figure it all out so I err on the side of caution. I think it is all a bit silly really because we are all building on a rich quilting heritage. A lot of the "new" patterns and quilts are actually old patterns renamed (I hate that by the way) or changed slightly. It is kind of sad that everything is about money and ownership.
This, exactly. OP, my reply is not directed at you, so please don't be offended. I have come across several of these threads and discussions, and I've finally figured out WHY they "get my goat" so much. All this "dont share!" and "that's MY idea" seems to be to be the antithesis of quilting. For many, many years quilters have been sharing - patterns, blocks, material, ideas, methods, etc - why someone would feel the need to be SO stringent with "their" idea is beyond me. Now, don't get me wrong, I do not begrudge anyone making a living from their original ideas, but really? How many truly original ideas are there in the quilting world. Also, as long as one is using something for their own personal use and NOT making money/profit from it (in no way would I defend making copies of someone's claimed pattern and selling them) why should there be a problem? I've spent, I'm sure, thousands of dollars in books, patterns, etc, over the years, and if those authors really think I shouldn't share a thing or a bit of information, I'd gladly send their stuff back to them and not buy anything of theirs ever again. Look at those who share freely - take Leah Day for example - I'd much rather look to them because to me that embodies the spirit of quilting I like best - share the fun, knowledge, excitement of it all. I'm sure she's making money from the things she does sell and she is very generous with her ideas and knowledge. I see a lot of quilts with "names" on them that are NOT original patterns and have wondered exactly WHY is being called an original pattern? Fabric selection? Because somebody stuck their name on it? I don't think that's right, either. Maybe I'm a moralless scofflaw, but I'd share my pattern or my book with anybody who is interested. If I know how to do something and somebody wants to learn, I'm there. Want to take me to court? Go for it. Again, that's just ME. YMMV. |
Insert staning ovation, very well put.
Originally Posted by Dandish
(Post 4847227)
This, exactly. OP, my reply is not directed at you, so please don't be offended.
I have come across several of these threads and discussions, and I've finally figured out WHY they "get my goat" so much. All this "dont share!" and "that's MY idea" seems to be to be the antithesis of quilting. For many, many years quilters have been sharing - patterns, blocks, material, ideas, methods, etc - why someone would feel the need to be SO stringent with "their" idea is beyond me. Now, don't get me wrong, I do not begrudge anyone making a living from their original ideas, but really? How many truly original ideas are there in the quilting world. Also, as long as one is using something for their own personal use and NOT making money/profit from it (in no way would I defend making copies of someone's claimed pattern and selling them) why should there be a problem? I've spent, I'm sure, thousands of dollars in books, patterns, etc, over the years, and if those authors really think I shouldn't share a thing or a bit of information, I'd gladly send their stuff back to them and not buy anything of theirs ever again. Look at those who share freely - take Leah Day for example - I'd much rather look to them because to me that embodies the spirit of quilting I like best - share the fun, knowledge, excitement of it all. I'm sure she's making money from the things she does sell and she is very generous with her ideas and knowledge. I see a lot of quilts with "names" on them that are NOT original patterns and have wondered exactly WHY is being called an original pattern? Fabric selection? Because somebody stuck their name on it? I don't think that's right, either. Maybe I'm a moralless scofflaw, but I'd share my pattern or my book with anybody who is interested. If I know how to do something and somebody wants to learn, I'm there. Want to take me to court? Go for it. Again, that's just ME. YMMV. |
I taught a Small Projects Class last year at our LQS. We did a BOM. Every month I chose a block from Judy Hopkins Book "501 Rotary Cut Quilt Blocks" The owner of the Shop offered the book at a 25% off discount to every one in the class. By the way; it was a great class I had 23 members!
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I'm still confused. Is a YouTube video explanation by the author of a book copyrighted? She shows everyone who cares to look how to make the block. How is showing this method that is free an infringement of her copyright?
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Originally Posted by LivelyLady
(Post 4846658)
Me too!Where would we be if our foremothers didn't share their techniques and patterns with us?
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I think you can share this info only if you state the source that you got it from. I know in school we had to have a resource when we used something someone else had written.
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I've seen so many quilters in this forum share how to do blocks or quilts that have patterns out there for sale. always made me wonder.....
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Originally Posted by DogHouseMom
(Post 4846072)
I know I can't (won't) copy patterns or pages from books to share with others. But I'm wondering about sharing concepts that are gleaned from books that were written for the sole purpose of teaching a method (as opposed to a specific pattern).
For example ... I purchased a book called "Fabulous Fractures". While the book does give some defined specifics about sizes of strips to cut, and seam allowance - the basic crux of the book is the METHOD that is used to create a fracture. The method is basically a simple math equation. The concept, the method are remarkably easy. Because it was published, I'm hesitant to pass along to others the basic concept I used to make my fracture. A few have remarked "wow - how did you do that" - none have asked me to share, but I'm wondering if I can if asked. I did make a few remarks about the concept, but didn't give instructions and left out some key elements as I was skating on rather shaky ground. So what do you guys think about sharing methods? And one more question while we are at it. Is it OK for an LQS to host a class to teach a method learned from a book? Would a requirement for each class member to purchase the book be necessary to teach the method? I'm curious ... can a "method" be copy written? The words that describe the method can be, but the method itself?? |
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