GET YOUR CREATIVE JUICES FLOWING!!
© Barbara Massie
William Blake (1757-1827) wrote:
"I must Create a System,
or be enslav'd by another Man's;
I will not Reason and Compare:
my business is to Create."
In the late 1700s Mr. Blake wanted to create his own work and not use another's. Certainly 200 years later we should possess those same desires?
Copying is not legal. Read about copyright at Cornell University's Legal Information Institute site.
Q. I make my projects from patterns I've purchased, decorate and sell them. Am I violating any copyright laws?
A. I asked officials of several companies how to know we are complying with copyright laws when using purchased items to make products for resale.
Many crafters use craft magazines and the Web for ideas and projects. DecoArt gives projects on their web site.
Susie Wolfe, DecoArt Special Projects Coordinator, stated, "DecoArt has received written permission from each featured artist to share their design on the web site. These patterns have previously appeared in issues of Let's Paint Magazine. The individual artist still holds the copyright. DecoArt has written publishing rights, not ownership of the copyright. Each individual artist's original copyright restrictions apply to their own designs. For further information, each individual artist should be contacted at the address at the end of each pattern."
Walk the aisles of craft shows and you will find items seen in pattern books at the fabric store. Many patterns have a written statement telling if the patterns may be used for resale items.
Kris Canfield, Manager of the Consumer Relations Department of Simplicity Patterns, Inc., responded with: "Patterns are considered printed matter, and are covered under copyright laws for 24 years from the publishing date. Treat them just like you would books or videos - you can share them with anyone, but once you start making copies, and especially if you are selling those copies, you are clearly violating the rights of the author/designer.
"We (Simplicity) often purchase design/pattern licenses from individual designers, (many are small business people just like yourself), and this deprives them of the right to earn a living from their designs."
Crafters purchase wood items to make product for resale. Most small items sold are expected to be incorporated into larger items. But when you purchase large items such as bird houses or lamps to decorate and sell, ask if there is a copyright on the items.
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