Copyrights! I am Rambling . .

The copyright discussion has taken over many of the quilt lists I'm on and I'm sick of it already! It seems that every designer has their own version of what copyright should be. Heck, I don't have a clue what it all really means and the more I read, the more confused I get. First, I definitely agree that no one should purchase a pattern and then make copies to hand out to her friends. The guild here was awful about doing that and I hated it. I am no longer a member but whatever justification anyone can come up with for copying a design and sharing it . . it's just wrong! I think that part of the copyright law is pretty much settled. On the other hand, there are designers who say you cannot sell a design made from their quilt. I heard about one designer who says that if you make a shop sample from their pattern, you cannot even sell the shop sample when you're finished with it. I think that's a bit much. I don't have a clue what is right or wrong on this aspect according to the law but here's how I think of it. Suppose the quilt shop wants to make a sample of one of my patterns and hang it in their shop for a year or two. You know that having that sample there is going to cause that pattern to sell probably a dozen times better than it would sell if the pattern was sitting there on the shelf all alone, with no sample. So, the shop stands to sell maybe 6 patterns in one year without a sample and maybe 25 patterns in one year with the sample. Would I expect the shop to make the sample and keep it forever? No! They can sell it or do whatever they want to do with it. It has served its purpose by selling more of my patterns (I hope!). Then there's the designers who make pantograph patterns for longarmers. Some say that every time you use the pantograph, it goes with the quilt. You buy one pantograph every time you want to use it. Some say you can use the pantograph 5 times and there are little circles to mark off. What are they going to do . . audit me? No . . not me because I buy NONE of those type patterns. Some designers say you have to get their permission before entering a quilt in a show made from their design. Some go so far as to expect part of the prize money if you win! Think I'd be making any of those designs? NO! Think I'd even buy a design with such a limitation? NO! It would be nice if someone made a prize winning quilt from my pattern if somewhere there was a credit so others could find the pattern if they wanted to make one but if I see one of my patterns made up at a show and being exhibited with no credit given, am I going to track that person down and issue a reprimand? NO! I'd rather spend my time quilting! OK . . so why am I so fired up about this copyright issue? Last night I was talking to someone who has all these requirements about what can and can't be done with her patterns. Goodness, by the time we finished talking, I almost got the idea she wanted to approve fabric choices before someone used them on her patterns. Anyone see where I'm going with this? That black quilt I'm working on! I used stencils made by Pepper Cory which are distributed by Sten Source so technically, either could have rules that say I have to get permission before I can even enter this quilt in a show. I was pretty much frustrated because I have the whole quilt marked and half the motifs quilted. I wrote Pepper Cory an e-mail and then called her this morning. She was so very, very nice and was thrilled that I was using her stencil and had no problems with a quilt being entered in a show. I was beginning to think the whole quilting world had lost their senses. I look at the quilt groups and I think of how much time and effort some people are putting into writing these long and drawn out regulations about what can and can't be done with their patterns and then . . what? Are they going to start policing the quilting world? It would be nice if everyone would play by the rules but everyone is not going to play by the rules. I will do my best to respect copyright rules (but if I'm not even sure I understand the limitations placed on designs by copyright, that's kinda hard) and copyright restrictions/violations will not consume me. After all this (anyone still reading?) I want to say a huge thank you to Bonnie Hunter for all the work she does to create free patterns for everyone to use. It is a lot of work and for those of us who really, really appreciate what she does, don't forget to let her know you appreciate her work. Back to quilting the black quilt now that I can quilt without fear of going to jail for copyright violation! Judy L.