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roseOfsharon 08-27-2010 11:16 AM

You know, copyrights are troublesome! It would seem to me quilter's around the world would be happy to share their patterns. Selling the patterns is different than placing it free in a magazine or online. It would seem to me that if you are posting the pattern for use, whether it is for the home or whatever, it's up for grabs! Who is to say it should not be made and sold? If the person who designed it wanted to have full proceeds from said pattern, then they should not sell the pattern or post it as free. The joy of making a quilt is to give, of course, but selling one should be the right of anyone who labors at it. Maybe making a slight change in the pattern might avoid such problems, but it still seems a bit overboard to police quilts for patent (copyright) violations! Just my opinion....


Oh, And I agree with you, Conniequilts

TexasGurl 08-27-2010 11:25 AM


Originally Posted by bearisgray
There are some patterns and designs that appear to me to be truly original.

Where things get stuck in my craw is when someone takes old stand by blocks - like 9-patch, shoo-fly, variable star, rail fence - and then claims a copyright for the pattern.

That's what bothers me the MOST too - I don't care to sell quilts or enter a lot of shows - but I DO have a real problem with "quilt designers" making very repetitive quilts with nothing more than triangles, nine-patches, strips, stars or snowballs etc and claiming they are their ORIGINAL patterns & designs ???
Come on, these traditional blocks have been around for 150+ years ... in the public domain, to be used & enjoyed by ALL
Unless it is someone's hand-drawn, pictorial pattern or applique design, it's pretty silly to consider anything else an "original" design :roll:

MamaHen 08-27-2010 11:38 AM

I agree with you all. If a pattern or even a mystery quilt is published for the whole world to see, why can't the public use it for free to do with as they may. Just because someone has changed a block around does not mean they OWN it. I also can take about any pattern or block I see and copy or change it as I see fit. Then it is mine to do with as I wish. The magazine publishers are only hurting them selves, their circulation will go down, then they will have to charge more for advertising and magazine prices, who's going to buy them. NOT ME!

tooMuchFabric 08-27-2010 12:22 PM


Originally Posted by mom-6
I can understand not wanting everybody and their uncle (or aunt) making $ off of your design, but I really don't see how you can keep people from looking at the picture or the finished product and doing something very much like it even without buying the pattern. Once I see something, I can pretty much figure out how it was done and if I want to do one more or less like it, I can.

Exactly.

tooMuchFabric 08-27-2010 12:23 PM


Originally Posted by dakotamaid
I understand if you don't buy the pattern and figure it out by yourself just add your stamp (variation) to it and it can be called original. (?)

No. Unless it is so "in the public domain" that anyone anywhere can use it already.

bearisgray 08-27-2010 12:23 PM

I think the object is to sell one pattern per person making a given quilt or item.

tooMuchFabric 08-27-2010 12:24 PM


Originally Posted by bearisgray
Where things get stuck in my craw is when someone takes old stand by blocks - like 9-patch, shoo-fly, variable star, rail fence - and then claims a copyright for the pattern.

Right.

They can say anything they want, but saying it does not make it true.

Ada Shiela 08-27-2010 12:39 PM

Hello quilterguy - the more this topic is aired, the less clear it becomes but it certainly makes us think and fume at giant corporate and legal domination of our lives. They're control freaks trying to make an easy dollar out of the average person in the street.
Intellectual Property gives us ownership of our thoughts but Artificial Intelligence and man-made laws interfere with our right to do what we think is morally correct :roll:

mpspeedy 08-27-2010 12:42 PM

As a former member of a professional quilt association I can see both sides. With the advent of the longarmers the biggest problem I see is that their work is not being credited to them. I have a friend who is also a handquilter for hire. She did a quilt for a woman who won first place for "handquilting" at Paducha. The problem was she failed to tell the judges that it was not her work. When my friend objected the customer replied that she had paid her so the work belonged to her.
I do believe that once your quilt is published in a commercial magazine all bets are off. As long as you don't sell it claiming that it was your original design I don't see how they could object. To me it is like actors that are so upset about their pictures being published. They need to remember that it is free publicity and conduct themselves accordingly in public. I do make it a point to give a designer credit if I enter or show a piece that uses their design.

amandasgramma 08-27-2010 12:52 PM

Okay - here we go again!!

1) I don't have any money -- they can sue me if they want...they won't get anything.

2) My stuff will probably NEVER be published anywhere....so how would they know

3) I have QE6....would be hard for ANYONE to decide I'd used their pattern.

There hard 100s of patterns out there....ALL of them are a spin-off of some other person's quilt. If a magazine or designer says I can't sell them, then I won't make a quilt from their pattern....but I WILL make one from MY designs.


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