There is a lot of misinformation and an extensive lack of knowledge of copyright law.
The links on this page will provide you with information about what is allowed as well as what is not allowed under the international copyright laws.
Please note that a few of these sites have information from lawyers but many do not.
As a designer I know how much time, effort and money goes into designing a quilt, working out how to construct it, and writing the instructions.
The object of copyright laws around the world is to protect the income of designers … why should anybody make money from the work put in by designers … other than the designers.
The fees paid to designers for an pattern published in a magazine do not cover the cost of making the quilt, and allow for a wage of just a few dollars and hour for their time. Just one magazine I know of pays a reasonable amount for just a coloured sketch (like I publish every day here on Virtual Quilter) … the rest pay a little more for the full pattern, instructions and photos of the finished article, which can take a week to write, not to mention making the item and researching methods. That fee is about the equivalent of a call out fee and the first hours work, or part thereof, of a plumber or electrician.
Original artists usually have to have some other means of support like a day job, except for just a few at the top of the tree.
Would you be willing to do your day job for a week and get paid for a day, while somebody else uses your week’s work to make money for themselves?
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An Introduction to Copyright in Australia (G010v17)
http://www.copyright.org.au/admin/cms-acc1/_images/15053623324f42cf09a556f.pdf
Craftworkers & Copyright (G073v05)
http://www.copyright.org.au/admin/cms-acc1/_images/20260954594f3b32120efbd.pdf
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inspiration vs copying
by Sue Bleiweiss
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The following two links are specifically about the music industry, but if you think pattern designers instead of musicians you should get the message.
Our Digital Innocence Just Died.
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The first couple of paragraphs in this story are worth reading.
Do You Bead Like Nobody is Watching?
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Understanding Copyright, Derivatives and Design Credit in Quilting
CAN I COPYRIGHT MY QUILT?
The Line Between Inspired By And Copied From And How To Stay On Its Right Side
How Copyright Affects the Quilter
An Explanation of Design Permissions
Derivative Art Quilts � We’ve All Been Guilty at One Time or Another Compiled by Carolyn Lee Vehslage
Striking Back Against Censorship
That Belongs to Me – More on Copyright
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Sharing is not always a good thing….
from
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Me SHOUTING? Well that doesn’t work either!
from
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Why Bother With a Copyright Notice?
from PlagiarismToday by Jonathan Bailey
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It’s not a story, it’s true!!!!
The fabric designer is unlikely to lose money because their fabric has been used in a quilt which is featured in a book.
How much money does the fabric designer think the author will make from the book? It is likely to be much less than $150,000 regardless of what country’s dollar is referred to.
How much the book might increase the sales of the fabric … if it is still available?
UPDATE
There is a tote bag in the story too.
Resolution to an Interesting Read
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from
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A few thoughts about copyright and quilts
from CT Publishing By Todd Hensley
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The “Pandora’s Box” of Quilting
from Esther’s Blog (Esther)
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from Dahlward Quilting by Wendy Johnson
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from The Drawing Board by kate spain
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from
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Copyright: The Cheque is in the Mail – Really
from Serendipity and the Art of the Quilt by Brenda
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The Divisive and Difficult Commercial Use Question
With Copyright, Every Content Creator is Different
from
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Guidelines for Respecting Intellectual Property
particularly when sharing tutorials
from the blog
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Why stealing from many isn’t research
It is just stealing from more than one person.
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Piracy doesn’t work in NYC
on
The Copyright Alliance Blog
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Fair Use
The Fifth Fair Use Factor and the Problem With It
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Pam Holland wrote a piece about
What is Original
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A win for the Rights of Artists to Choose Distribution
on
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A general interest story about someone frustrated about lack of acknowledgement of Photographers on
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from the blog
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is a story of how one person’s work was copied … for profit.
This is not allowed, and is a lazy way of making money … and immoral.
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features
and that first link is to a post titled
Not Chasing your Dues
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Mistakes Anti-Copyright Constantly Make
from
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Help I need a Publisher
about writers being paid.
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by Kathleen Loomis
on her blog
Art with a Needle
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Public Domain vs. Public Domain
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Copyright Termination: What is it and Why Should I Care?
from the blog
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The Responsible Bloggers Guide to Dealing with Big Brother
on
is a reminder that what goes on the Internet stays on the Internet …. forever!
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Bonnie Hunter read the fine print before she signed a contract on
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Lending Rights – Part of the Copyright Cycle
in Australia
from Serendipity and the Art of the Quilt by Brenda
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including Copyright Statements on Selvedge
from
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TAFTA
The Australian Forum for Textile Arts
has a series of articles published in
TEXTILE Fibre Forum
magazine available
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What is Intellectual Property?
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I have a story I want to tell you about copyright
and
by
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by Lyn Price from
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explains some of the pitfalls of using images when you don’t own the copyright.
Small Business Plagiarism On the Rise
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I was dubbed as a Copyright Copper (Copyright Police) after an incident when I pointed out to a group that copying patterns for a swap which was going to take place in a public place wasn’t a good idea, and the following articles were written to try to get the message across that breaching copyright law can lead to consequences most of us cannot afford.
talks about copyright
about a designer who bit back
about who the real copyright police are
about photos and who can give permission to use them
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Copyright – words and images, not ideas, titles or cats
The Tobermory Cat, the trolls & me.
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by Mary Corbet
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More informative links worth looking at.
Australian Copyright Council’s Online Information Centre
Australian Publishers Association
Copyright and Quilters FAQ & Links
Copyright Basics for Cross Stitch and Needlework
Copyright for Quilters and Craft
Stealing is not acceptable no matter what you call it
Copyright Laws and the Quilter
How to protect your ideas in the digital age
Percy Principles of Art and Composition
The Ugly Word–Copyright–Boooooo
Blake Morrison on the cost of quoting lyrics
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Finally, links to some things related.
Blogging Pitfall: Courting Libel
6 Categories of Lame Plagiarism Excuses
5 Industries With Surprising Content Theft Problems
5 Misconceptions Copyright Holders Have About the DMCA
from PlagiarismToday by Jonathan Bailey
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from 365 Days of Free Motion Quilting Filler Designs by Leah Day
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UK.gov proposes massive copyright land snatch
Your lunch? I sold it for 2p. Hey, here’s your ½p
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The following links are about the music industry.
Why Spotify Doesn’t Make Sense for Musicians: 70,000 Listens Earns Less Than $300
Quilter Blogs & Store Search
Virtual Quilter 
Thank you so much Judy! This list should be essential reading for all bloggers. I definately learned a few things!
hugs Paula
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Wow – There are pitfalls all over the place waiting to snare you. Thanks for such an exhaustive search on the issue – I’ve asked my local group and guild reps to come and have a look at the links for themselves (didn’t copy ANYTHING!) and hopefully they will publicise the issue in our newsletters.
Rhona T
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Rhona,
Your group and guild are more than welcome to have a look … I started putting the information together primarily for my own groups and guild to use as a reference point. (Perhaps more for me … so Icould remember where to find the information!)
Judy B
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