Needlework Copyright Information

Fair Use Clause

2012-02-24T00:29:00.000-08:00

Clear explanation of the "Fair Use" clause
http://www.photoattorney.com/?p=299
Copying needlework designs is NOT Fair use!

In the news

2012-01-20T00:22:00.000-08:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/20/technology/indictment-charges-megaupload-site-with-piracy.html?hp
<<..the Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation seized the Web site Megaupload and charged seven people connected with it with running an international enterprise based on Internet piracy...>>

2011-10-08T02:39:00.000-07:00

Association de Défense et de Promotion de la Broderie Européenne

2011-09-22T07:32:00.000-07:00

In the news -
The TNNA will be rolling out a new education campaign next year.

Q&A

2010-10-21T11:20:00.000-07:00

One needlework chart = a lot of questions and some of those questions aren't easily
answered. These Q&A postings will help to separate fact from fiction.

Question of the Week:
Q: My friend has a chart I dearly love but she won't part with it because it is out of print She has offered to make me a copy but I refused. Now I'm wondering if maybe it would have been alright since I can't find it in any of the needlework stores.

A: Out of print doesn't mean "out of copyright". The terms are not interchangeable and more than likely, the copyright still applies. Out of print charts show up on auctions so you can try that approach or write to the
copyright holder and see what they say. You may just be lucky enough to hear that they still have a few copies left or would be willing to reprint a chart if the current demand was great enough.

The Law says this:
In General. — Copyright in a work created on or after January 1, 1978, subsists from its creation and, except as provided by the following subsections, endures for a term consisting of the life of the author and 70 years after the author's death. This law can be found here:http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap3.html

The aim of this blog

2010-10-14T00:09:00.000-07:00

Dear Readers,
Thank you for stopping by the Copyright blog.

The purpose of the blog is to educate and create an awareness in the needlework industry as to the seriousness of a problem that seems to be growing larger and larger. Some people feel that their actions harm no one, so it is the goal of supporters and followers to show you that real people and businesses are feeling the effects of this illegal activity.

No one person or company represents the blog. We are a community of needlework designers, shop owners and suppliers.

It is our hope that positive and constructive dialogue can begin in your groups, shops, and neighborhoods. It's our industry we are trying to preserve for the future.

We remain positive in the hope that spreading the word of copyright rights and wrongs is the best defense we have toward preservation of the needlework industry. Some designers have already left the industry because the fight to preserve what belonged to them was too large. Though it may sound cliche', every stitcher can make a difference.

The snowball effect of copyright violations

2010-09-28T01:15:00.000-07:00

So, you'd like to report an infringement

2010-09-24T09:02:00.000-07:00

You've seen a link, website, photo album, or personally know someone who infringes. What do you do? You can:
a.) contact the designer
or
b.) email: needleworkdesigners@gmail.com

You will remain anonymous. Help become a part of the solution if you come across copyright violations.

Thank you!

S.C.A.N. - and what it actually means

2010-09-22T08:29:00.000-07:00

Please feel free to use this image on your blogs and websites!

It's large here for downloading but you can make it smaller for your sites.

The story behind the theft of the printed chart.

2010-09-21T16:27:00.000-07:00

Designers in the needlework industry lose thousands of dollars a day due to illegal copying, scanning, uploading and downloading of their charts. This loss trickles down to the shop owner who didn't make the pattern sale and to the distributor who didn't sell it to the shop owner. Everyone along that chain loses something. And there, sitting at the very bottom of that chain is the stitcher who will eventually lose his or her favorite designer because they simple have had enough. It's happening now, today. Designers are setting their needlework aside in favor of other endeavors, ones that cannot be copied and "shared" via copy machines and the Internet.

A very large group of designers who have been battling these infringements have made some progress in the last year toward ending some of the unlawful theft of charts. And fortunately once caught, some of the stitchers who had been involved in the illegal exchanges not only quit but have helped educate others. However in the meantime theft has increased and it is putting the industry on a teeter-totter.

Many myths surround copyright and the moral judgment infringers make on the designers whose work is being copied. Statements are made that designs make "enough" money or they are only in it (design work) for the glory and the money. All of these statements are false. We have all heard that needlework has been on a decline for years and salaries that designers once made are long gone. For this exact reason we are seeing designers resign from the profession or get jobs outside of their companies to make ends meet.

If you are a stitcher and have paid for your chart in a brick and mortar or online shop, pat yourself on the back. The industry thanks you!
If you have received your charts through copies or illegal downloads, YOU are the problem.
It is NEVER ok to steal and if you obtained a chart illegally you have done just that.