COPYRIGHT question

[mojo11]

She thinks other folks will troll the internet looking for snippets of her patterns to put together the pattern without buying it.

I see it like this: Unless you invented the knit stitch and the purl stitch, you're building on someone else's work. There is no such thing as an "original" pattern any more, it's all been done. And no matter how unique you might think your particular combination of knits and purls is, someone else has already done it -- and very likely someone else in future will do it again.

People like that are usually a tempest in a teapot and if you call the bluff they'll fold like a cheap shirt. BUT. When you're dealing with a soulless corporation with dozens of lawyers on retainer, it gets a little dicier. That said, unless you were mass producing the item for sale, you're probably not worth their time and money to prosecute. In THAT way, you're better off dealing with McCall's than Madame Psycho Head Case.

But getting back to sharing the pattern with your pal, you could always go old school and print it out and mail it. It isn't completely untraceable, but it isn't out there in permanent archival status on a mail server either.

[ArtLady1981]

Great input, mojo!

Madame Psycho is irrational enough to make one's life miserable for months, emailing, messaging, threatening. It's really quite horrid how she treats customers who have plunked down their money for her pdf's. I own about ten. I'm sure I'm not the only customer she's terrorizes. I've determined to report her to the Ravelry higher-up's next tinge she harasses me in the smallest way. Plus, I've actually since read that Ravelers can say whatever they want about a design they're knitting in their personal project notes. Don't know if that extends to the group forums. I left Madame Psycho's Fan Group a long time ago. She jumped down my throat for asking a question about a sweater I was knitting. I was stuck. (there actually turned out to be a small pattern error fire my size). She deleted my question, and messages a nasty note saying questions have to be submitted via her website Q&A. She also claimed that in describing my question, in detailing how and where I was stuck, I revealed too much pattern information. Really??? (btw, I did not reveal much!)

[mojo11]

Great input, mojo!

Madame Psycho is irrational enough to make one's life miserable for months, emailing, messaging, threatening. It's really quite horrid how she treats customers who have plunked down their money for her pdf's. I own about ten. I'm sure I'm not the only customer she's terrorizes. I've determined to report her to the Ravelry higher-up's next tinge she harasses me in the smallest way. Plus, I've actually since read that Ravelers can say whatever they want about a design they're knitting in their personal project notes. Don't know if that extends to the group forums. I left Madame Psycho's Fan Group a long time ago. She jumped down my throat for asking a question about a sweater I was knitting. I was stuck. (there actually turned out to be a small pattern error fire my size). She deleted my question, and messages a nasty note saying questions have to be submitted via her website Q&A. She also claimed that in describing my question, in detailing how and where I was stuck, I revealed too much pattern information. Really??? (btw, I did not reveal much!)

Eventually if she does enough of this, people will quit buying her stuff because it's just not worth it. I don't care HOW good it is, it's not THAT good. Besides, given a good enough photo of the thing, a lot of patterns can be reserves engineered anyway. AND, they'll probably be just different enough to be "materially different". So take that Miss Poopie Head Psycho Nut Beast... from HELL.

I'm not on Ravelry... I tend to avoid "social media" in general. (This forum being a notable exception of course.) And this kind of thing is one of the major reasons why.

[ArtLady1981]

Interestingly, the only dust-up I've experienced at Ravelry was at the hands of a designer, a business person. She shoots herself in the foot, and systematically tanks her own business and reputation by her aggressive, paranoid behavior. Instead of protecting her business interests, she shoots holes in them.

So you see why attention should be given to copyright issues, both from an ethical standpoint, but also as protection from psycho designers who would go to absurd lengths to getcha!....even if you're in the right and she has no case.

[Jan in CA]

I know exactly who you're talking about Dollyce! She did the same thing to me I that group when I asked a question and at some point in the conversation (by pm of course) she asked me to be a mod in the group. Uh, no. She's completely paranoid.

I should add that there are patterns people have kind of taken from questions, but they usually aren't identical and really, who's got time to hunt down that info?

[mojo11]

I don't know about anybody else, but I knit a lot of Frankenpatterns -- patterns that take one element from this and one from that and mix in some of my own ideas to hold them together.

Gee... sounds just like what a pattern designer does.

[suzeeq]

I do that a lot too - take the shaping from one, work the pattern stitches from one or more other patterns.

[GrumpyGramma]

OMG we'll all get arrested, fined, put on bread and water for mixing and matching. I did that for years with sewing patterns then someone at a fabric store said you can't mix brands when you do it so I said I guess I better not do that anymore. As for knitting garments for myself, anything that goes on the torso must be modified to fit. No off-the-shelf pattern is likely to work.

[mojo11]

OMG we'll all get arrested, fined, put on bread and water for mixing and matching. I did that for years with sewing patterns then someone at a fabric store said you can't mix brands when you do it so I said I guess I better not do that anymore. As for knitting garments for myself, anything that goes on the torso must be modified to fit. No off-the-shelf pattern is likely to work.

When a designer can prove to me that s/he invented and own the rights to the 4-stitch cable, I'll gladly capitulate. Until then, I'll be guerrilla Frankenknitter. Viva la revolucion! (Maybe I'll even make myself a felted black beret with a little red star on it or sump'n. I still have some black and red Cascade 128...)

[Jan in CA]

GG, I used to mix sewing patterns all the time. I made a prom dress and other formal that way. People and their ridiculous rules... Honestly.