Editor’s Note: If you do not like soap box stands do not read this post.
At some point in your creative endeavors you are going to receive written instructions of some sort; from a teacher, friend or instructor. They can be free as in a hand drawn on a piece of paper or instructions you pay for, a complete set of written instructions for a class or a canvas, etc. Some instructions, like Counted thread can be as simple as a set of diagrams or as complex as complete, step by step instructions.
All the above are not equal, some instructions are better written than others, some will have mistakes but the one thing they all have in common is that they are COPYRIGHT protected.
Simple put, this means you should only use them for yourself! You should not sell them, give them away, share them and any form…this means no copies, nor hand drawn copies of someone else’s work!
When you have finished the project or class, dispose of them properly. Keep them all or in part as a reference for yourself; or throw them away. You purchased these instructions for your use not for other people. You paid for the instructions, is your friend paying you?…still illegal!
When you pay for instructions, you are paying for that person’s creativity. You are paying the shop to keep the lights on and to carry the things you like to stitch. You are paying for a lot of little things that keep designers designing and shops selling.
At the worst ….Would you like to be robbed; because that is what you are doing? You are taking livelihood away from the designer. I know designers/teachers whose stitch guides and instructions are a main part of their income; it is not a hobby or sideline.
How would you feel if you stitched a canvas, gave it to a friend and less than a month later your gift was for sale online, at a yard or at your local resell shop? That’s a similar feeling designers, teachers and shop owners feel when they see these things for resale.
I mentioned a couple blogs ago that I am working on a sale for my guild…I will not accept (and I will throw away) any instructions from classes that have been taken by guild members that do not have the complete kit or stitch guides for canvases that do not have an accompanying canvas. I personally have a problem with class teaching pieces , just because of all the little things you learn in class that may or may not be covered in the text. The “pearls of wisdom” the teacher shares with the class. I know that my Contemporary Forrest Necklace (last post) ttps://sudukc.wordpress.com/2018/03/01/5462/ would have been a bit easier had I physically been in the class with Catherine Jordan.
I would really like not to accept anything but books, but I know that is pushing the envelope for a non profit.
Just be mindful of Copyright and please do not sell something you have already had the creative use of…And if you would like to read more; Ruth Schmuff’s blog offers a designers point of view: https://bedeckedandbeadazzled.com/2018/02/copyright-2/
Putting my soap box away for now. Thank you for stopping by, I hope you have time to stitch today.
ttfn…sue
This week I had someone tell me my baseball was cute and they thought they would copy it. I have no legal rights to the Royals emblem I did not buy the licensing. But it still is my design adaptation and even though I do not intend to sell this design copying it is not legal.
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