Originally Posted by Dorothy Ann
I wish you knew be better. I am so not puffed up about my quilt designs, we have so much fun making them and seeing them in print. I want all of my employees to feel a part of this experience. You see, I have a business. I have employees. I pay them. I earn money by designing, writing patterns and selling kits. A lot of people do that, are they wrong to want to protect what belongs to them. I have ownership in my ideas and creative designs, they are mine and I'm sorry that you can't take that in. You may see the Cinderella on a poster, but Disney is one of the few companies that does seek out and sue those who take what they have spent time in creative thought, money, energy and countless dollars in producing. I am small, there are laws that protect that which the law says belongs to me, but I can't enforce them as Disney does. But it makes me feel like someone has take something that didn't belong to them. The ideas and designs are mine, I will express that plainly. I will never deny a person the right to use something that is mine. I share all the time, books, money, recipes, patterns. But a person should ask to use them. Because it is not tangible does not matter, an idea is a noun and can be owned, possessed and given away. I'm sorry it isn't more plainly stated that the copyright remains with the designer, but it does.
DorthyAnn
I never siad I thought you were puffed up about your designes infact I said it was nice to have a designers point of view.
Here is the what I think most people problem is with designer wanting them to ask permission
If you use a recipie in betty crockers cook book and make the best pie and want to enter it in a fair do you have to ask better crocker?
Really think about it for a min.
No one is saying designers are not hard working I dont think. I wouldnt say that
But in the same since that the music industry is suffering from over burdening restriction because some people chose to do things illegally
If designers keep puting all of these resrictions on it then they themselfs are going to lose in the end along with all of the quilters.
I said earlier I was not going to repeat my opinion on this but I will
I am of the opinion that quilt patterns do not fall under copyright no more then a dress pattern does.
You can copyright the pattern "instructions" so no one can copy that and sell it but the end result is not apart of that.
I believe it falls under the useful goods and therefore is not copyright able.
and dresses and cloths are not copyright able that was fought and won in a court case back in the 50-60's I want to say
I believe that if a designer wants to restrict their pattern then they need to sell licences to it.
Such as what Disney does with its fabric
It sells the licences to the manufacture so that manufacture can make fabric with it.
Since the manufacture knows how to make it they are still not legally able to sell that fabric without the licences
But that is all my opinion
I am not a lawyer. Heck I am not even an educated person. I do know how to research and look things up but thats it.
I would be willing to bet my house and all my money on it but since I dont use patterns, I dont sell and for the most part I dont sell my quilts I dont think i have to worry about it.
Like I said I think its great that you are here and I am sorry if you feel you are being ganged up on.
It is good that we are all talking although no one here is a copyright professional so everyone should take everyones advice including mine with a grain of salt.