patricej

this is a great article
http://qnm.com/copyright/index.html

this is an official site with all the gobbledygook you need to read if you decide to register a copyright. includes links to forms
http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.html#cr

Knot Sew

A good article very informative, everyone should read it

Norah

This is a good article. Kind of wierd in that it seems that if I make a quilt from the 30's and publish it with instructions, and a fancy border, is it mine for 75 years? Don't anyone make a Dresden Plate with ice cream cones in the border. What?? What am I missing?

zyxquilts

I agree Patrice, that is a wonderful article - and not TOO confusing either! I vaguely remember reading it in QNM, but I'm glad to have the refresher.
The Southern Calif. Council of Quilt Guilds had a program on this a few years back, when Kelly Gallagher-Abbott was our President. After getting to actually meet someone who makes their living from their quilt patterns, it made me think twice about copying someone's pattern. In my guild, if we have an "in-house" workshop using a commercial pattern, we require the attending members to buy their own pattern. And I found out when I taught one (Pagodas, by Debbie Bowles), if you ask, you usually can get a discount!
sue

patricej

if you want to get good and confused, go to the official government page. pour a stiff drink first. LOL

i'm not a lawyer but i think -if the ice cream cone idea is your original design - you could copright your overall quilt design, any elements of the quilt that were your unique design(s), the instructions and the illustrations, but not the block itself unless there was something unique about your adaptation of that block. most commercial quilt patterns tweak publlic domain blocks, put them in unique settings, colorways, and things like that. it ticks me off to see high prices on those.

on the other hand, i've seen some really intricate, obviously 100% original patterns that sell for really reasonable to surprisingly low prices. i guess it all depends on what the designer has the courage to charge, and how much the customers are willing to pay. i saw a pattern online yesterday that costs $20. i wouldn't have wanted it for free. i saw some today selling for over $30 that were nothing special. on the same page were beautiful, truly original designs selling for less than $10. go figure.

susan s.

This site really answered alot of Q's for me. The next one would be how can one tell if a Pattern is still in copyright? I'm kinda assuming that all these free patterns are from old designs or they wouldn't be handing them out so freely. Any Comments???