Love The Sentiment...
but it's still copyright infringement...
I can appreciate the exitement this knitter feels, her desire to share something she's enjoyed, but this act of niceness is also a pretty straightforward infrigement on the copyright of one of my patterns. My best seller. Damn.
If you find yourself hankering to upload someone's pattern and 'share' it with your friends - even if it's 'just a small group of friends who get together once a week' - please don't. There are a LOT of free patterns out there - heck, I have some here on my website - so there's really no need to cut into a designer's source of income.
I really hesitate to call it theft, because obviously that was NOT the spirit in which this pattern was uploaded and shared. But we all have to understand that what may seem an innocent 'cost cutting' measure, when multiplied by everyone who finds this pattern online and doesn't buy it from me, could add up to some serious money. Of course, my definition of serious money may be different than most - anything with a President is serious enough - but it's money none the less.
I've written to the person who posted this and asked her to remove it, which I'm sure she will. If anyone sees this kind of 'sharing' going on with my pattern or any other copyrighted pattern (including scans from a book or magazine which have been posted online - that's no kosher either...) please let the person who posted it know that it's just not a cool thing to do. Be nice, but let them know. (Being not nice is just as likely to get their back up, then they'll NEVER want to take the darned pattern down!)
The Regard of Flight
Tomorrow I fly off to Indianapolis - much quicker than driving (which I did this summer) and hopefully more enjoyable. Although I really did love the drive through Ohio and Pennsylvania. Perhaps I was a long-route trucker in a past life? I'll be at the Stitches And Scones event, and it promises to be absolutely delightful! I'm thrilled with the classes that they've chosen for me to teach, it's an exciting and eclectic mix. I hope if you are a blog reader and you're in the area you'll come by and say, "HI!" I promise I'll try not to just give you a blank look (which I do so often...)
Getting ON THE STICK!
I have two essays in semi polished form which I MUST FINISH before I leave tomorrow. One is on knitting, the other on Jewish/Christian Holiday Celebrations (you didn't know I write interfaith essays, huh?) I'm going to go for a long walk with Atticus to get my juices flowing, then a solid few hours on my booty writing should do the trick. What a glorious, windy, chilly, sunny day it is, too - for a walk! I may just have to put a sweater on Atticus!
RED!
This week is RED week at my kid's school, to raise awareness of HIV in Africa (Bono's project with Bobby Shriver) It would be fun to get that red credit card... But that's only for the UK, I think... I did get up at 5:30 to dye my hair red, though. It's lovely.
We are all, at heart, Amish. We long for a barn raising where we can put our shoulder to the frame and raise up the structure - help our neighbors then all have a nice dinner (I'll sit next to Harrison Ford, thank-you-very-much...)
So I'm hopeful that an all out call to halt the spread of HIV/Aids in Africa will work. We have so much power - and we can accomplish so much when we use it for good.
20 Comments:
Drat, wish I had known about the Stitches and Scones event last week. It would have been my birthday present to myself, since I'm a little over an hour away. sigh
Hi, Annie:
Thanks for your diplomatic and appropriate post about copyright. The people who publish books, magazines, and patterns need to eat and have shelter and clothing just like other folks. Many of us can, and do, give away parts of our work for the joy of doing so. But that needs to be our choice, made when the mortgage has been paid this month and the cupboard is relatively well stocked.
Copyright infringement does end up impinging on survival. When our income is diminished by unauthorized copying of our work, we of course can, and have to, go do other types of work to replace that cash. That results in fewer patterns, books, and inspiration for everyone.
To anyone reading this:
(1) Ask before sharing work that is, or even may be, copyrighted (sometimes the answer is "yes!").
(2) Support, in every way you can, the people who devote their lives to keeping knitting joyous and rambunctions by developing, writing up, and publishing their designs--in any format.
Share the pleasure, not the files.
Much knitting delight, forever, to all.
Even though you may have 'given' her the pattern in a class or something does not mean that anyone has the right to post it to the web without your permission. I am sure that you have handled it tastefully.
I just went to publish a free sock pattern off the web for myself and I had problems printing it out correctly. So I decided to try ad convert to a PDF file so that I could print it out easily. I downloaded the photos from the website and embedded them into the file. I saved it as a PDF for my own use. But I have also emailed a copy of it to the designer with an explaination of why I did it. This way if she wants to put the PDF up on her website, it is already done just in case some one else has the same problem but that is as far as it goes. And I made sure that the copywrite state was in the file as well.
Just curious: Did you actually give the pattern to the person?
Lynne -
I'm not sure, I don't really remember. But if she said I did, then I'm certain I probably did. Sometimes when someone helps me out with something, or is especially nice when I'm visiting a yarn shop. or we're learning a technique from the corset in a class I'll give them a copy (via email)
Perhaps it's true that when you get something for free you don't really comprehend the worth?
Sorry to hear you're dealing with this copyright stuff. (I'm saying stuff in place of other more colorful words). It just gets downright annoying sometimes to have to c ontact people and explain. I wish we could, as a society, get to the point where it's self-explanatory. However, I fear we're so far beyond the point of no return.
Yup, my husband's a musician and I constantly hear people talking about how they downloaded for free something which they should have paid for. Don't they realize that doing that takes money out of my hubby's pocket?
Before starting my business, several knit designers said that they would never allow their patterns to be sold as pdf's. They were certain that their patterns would be shared with everyone. I pointed out then, and still believe strongly, that people generally fall into 3 major categories: 1) honest people, who would never copy or share illegally; 2) dishonest people who don't have respect for the incredible hard work of designers who allow knitters/crocheters to make lovely things for people we love; and, 3) those who never thought about it either way. Once pondered, they will fit into one of the first two categories.
Stealing is stealing. My boss has ordered me - TWICE - to use illegally copied software. My response: "Would you steal a suit from Nordstrom? Then don't steal software." Tried to fire me. Somehow, I'm still there...
are pictures ok, as long as we give credit? i'm just asking for asking's sake. i did ask once when i was going to make the peacock shawl, and she gave me permission to post the pic i got from the website. not that i finished the shawl, or anything.
By any chance was it the pattern for the corset that you did on Knitty Gritty that is also available on DIY's website?
I do agree with you about craters respecting copyrights. I truly appreciate the diversity of patterns available, both free and paid. The more we minimize the financial reward of publishing patterns, the less will ultimately be available.
Dragon: As far as I'm concerned photos of my designs are okay as long as they're credited. A pdf file of a pattern that I sell is NOT okay.
Anon: No, that pattern is free, I did that specifically for Knitty Gritty and I don't sell that pattern. I do, however, sell the Silk Corset and when someone posts the pattern for free there is absolutely no incentive for someone to purchase the pattern.
I'm hearing more and more about copyright infringment as I work at a newspaper. People call all the time and want copies of their advertisement so they can put it in another publication. Many have no concept of copyright OR some just don't care! I'm glad to hear that the 'copyright police' are cracking down harder on these 'thefts'. And yes, I agree with deborah robson in the way you handled the situation; very tactful. Keep on designing and charging for your beautiful designs.
Brava!
What a wonderful way of discussing this topic that so quickly can get nasty.
Show us your red hair! What a fun mom you are...
I am, of course, absolutely in support of your tactful approach to copyright violations. You're doing the right thing...and well, what everyone else just said. They've said it well.
As a person who sells pdfs, I hope that my customers are the honest kind. I do hope that. However, I'm not naive, either...someday this will happen to me, too, I bet.
I'm just catching up on my blog-reading and want to say how much I enjoy your posts. Your writing is clear and interesting as well as topical to many of us as well as you as a designer. I'm looking forward to seeing, hearing, and learning from you at the Madison Knitters Guild Knit-In! Thanks for what you do!
pretty bold to put it on a web page - but i do have a question about what appears to be almost an exact copy of one of your patterns. It is the twisted float shawl on the cover of Vogue - I could not help noticing that Berocco has a sweater/pattern in Book #247 - though it is not identical - i would say the shaping is a little too close to yours - how do you feel about this??? Is it not the same pattern
Annie, isn't this also the pattern: http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/na_knitting/article/0,2025,DIY_14141_4920958,00.html
Sorry about that. I see it's just a very simplified version that you gave DIY, not the full pattern.
I am stunned that anyone would confuse being given a copy of your pattern with being given the copyright. I am just starting to write patterns myself and sell them. Even though it is much more work to mail patterns than email, this is what I've decided to do. Many people can be trusted utterly, but it only takes one who cannot to let the genie out of the bottle. I'm so sorry you had to encounter this.
On another note, do you ever teach in Boston?
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