OOOPS! Something NOT to do on this site!

#1

:oops: I saw Auburn’s post on what to make for someone who is seriously ill, and I posted directions for an afghan from a leaflet without considering copyright. The leaflet is 10+ years old, and the company website has a completely different version of the afghan up now, but I still could have gotten KnittingHelp in a lot of trouble.:doh:

Thankfully, Dustina was on the ball, spotted my brainfart, and deleted the instructions…then let me know why :fingerwag: . I reposted a similar but not copyrighted design.

They say if you’re smart you learn from your mistakes…but the wise learn from the mistakes of others. Just thought I’d post this for all the wise folks who visit this site :psst: .

#2

This could happen to any of us! Mistakes arise from good intentions sometimes, which is exactly what happened to you. But this is what our mods are for, to remind us of the rules and to fix our mistakes. :thumbsup:

Besides, what would the mods do if we never made any mistakes? They would get bored! :teehee:

#3

:roflhard:

Copyright is a touchy issue. Here’s a Copyright FAQ for Knitters that you might find helpful.

#4

It’s not just this site, it’s a no-no on any public forum.

Besides, what would the mods do if we never made any mistakes? They would get bored! :teehee:

Oh, you’d be surprised… lol

#5

If I had a nickel for every no no I did I’d be a gazilionare by now. :teehee: At least you recognized it and alla that. :hug:

#6

:hug: don’t give it anymore thought…we all make slip ups that is how we learn and others learn…no problem at all…:hug:

#7

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Thank you Jan.

That Copyright FAQ for Knitters has moved. I did find it quite helpful.
:arrow: http://yarnaholic.wordpress.com/the-copyright-faq-for-knitters/

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#8

Excellent! Thanks for the update!:thumbsup:

#9

Your heart was in the right place, not like you were going to be making money off of the pattern, but I guess it’s always good to review the copyright laws.

#10

I :heart: Mods !

#11

Here’s the dumb question of the day…when is something considered in the public domain as opposed to being copyrighted? I mean, there’s only so many ways you can do a ripple afghan, or cabled afghan, or stockinette blanket, or cap, or drawstring bag, and the list goes on. How can someone copyright something that is basic stitches and patterns? Is it considered different if you just change the number of stitches in the project, add an extra row, throw in a different row in the middle…sometimes it gets so confusing, at least to me. For example, I was making afghans off a Red Heart pattern, but I screwed up and forgot to put the checkerboard effect in, so I just kept doing the stitches so they came out in “stripes”. Can I claim that as a copyright? It’s not the pattern I intended, but I ended up liking it. How do I know someone else on the face of the earth hasn’t copyrighted an identical pattern?

I guess this is niggling at me because I’m thinking of trying to make a bunch of stuff for a craft show next year, but don’t want to step on any toes. But how does one know for sure? If someone taught you a pattern, but you don’t know where they got it, what would you have to modify to make it so you’re not infringing on anything?

It makes my head hurt…

#12

This might make your head hurt even more, but I came across this interesting site the other day:

Tabberone’s Trademark & Copyright Page

#13

Generally basic stitch patterns are not copyrightable, but the [B]way[/B] those patterns are written and presented are, along with the photos for them. For instance, the Knitting Foolwebsite has st patterns from the Barbara Walker books. However, her format is very different, kind of like a table, rather than the usual format for writing patterns. And she has her own color pictures of the sts; Barbara Walker’s are in B&W.

The same holds true for project patterns; there’s only so many ways you can present a topdown raglan, or garter st scarf, or triangular shawl. It’s how you write the pattern that makes it unique.