In other news, while the etsy seller I mentioned yesterday with the copy of one of my necklaces did remove the listing, the message I received back from her was disheartening. This was part of it:
"I removed my listing but not because I made it after your design. Is this pattern(design) copyrighted? I foud it on google, I didn't know it was your "original design"."Oh, dear. While I'm not a lawyer and I don't want to get into the copyright issue, I am sad that anyone thinks that just because you find something on Google that it's fair use for everyone for any reason. I suppose it could just be a cultural difference, I know there are a couple of countries that seem to keep popping up with this issue, but seriously EVERYTHING is on Google. How can anyone think everything posted online is free to profit from? Clearly this person found my listing image in a Google search and copied it not knowing nor caring that the design belonged to anyone. I know I can't fix people that see no issue with this, but I can write about how it's wrong and inconsiderate and hope someone reads this before they try it themselves. I let the seller know to be careful with that as I am by far, not the meanest tatter in this regard. She copies the wrong one and they'll be cease and desist letters and threats of lawyers.
In other, other news, I didn't get any tatting in yesterday either, but I did list the white collar and I did do more cross stitching. I'll get stir crazy again soon I'm sure and they'll be fresh tatting. I just can't sit on my hands and make nothing. I just have to keep my hands moving.
someone gave me an interesting article to read on copy writes wrote by lawyers and how everyone is going a tad overboard with laying claims to all kinds of things. Did you know if one stitch is different it changes the whole pattern and it's not there design any more! and a pattern once bought is a pattern and can be reproduced over and over and resold to others and the production of there things can be sold with out there permission because they sold a pattern they gave up there rights to it. there are some exceptions but in our tatting world there is not. I will dig this up in future and post it for you. Its is nice to give people respect and honor for design of something but many things are taken from nature's patterns and very few thank the Creator for them. Also I find there are less and less people that actually make things with there hands any more I feel there is too much nit picking. It's like a recipe to me if I taste something and go home and reproduce it on my own big woop. If you want to find This article (Google)on your own, look up copy write laws for sewing patterns and crafts you will find it very fascinating. Most people getting super angry only read copy write laws and did not get specific.
ReplyDeleteYou make it very clear in your patterns what are the limits of usage for that pattern. I don't think you need to feel bad telling someone to not sell the necklace. Especially when its on the same site as you sell your projects.
ReplyDeleteI get what your saying and It would be ruff on the same site that you sell your stuff. tatting is very time consuming and I feel she wouldn't have lasted long as you, any way, because of the work you put into it really does not pay for your time that I knows goes into an item. I make shuttles too at times and sell them and find that the hours I put into it in a way is not worth making more because demand is not that high. I guess I wish more people were interested. :(
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