Recently on Ravelry I had to remind a gal that a particular pattern can be used for charity and personal use only. I had written this at the bottom of the pattern she used yet she chose to ignore it and post openly that her shawl will bring a pretty penny when she sold it. Well, I just found out that she posted a new paragraph on the project page for this shawl saying some very rude things and I'd like to address them.
If you are gonna use someones pattern for the express reason of selling the finished item please email the designer first and get permission. We put a lot of time into our designs and we have our reasons for any policies we may have regarding our patterns.
If you have a problem with our policies just remember: We are the ones who put the time and effort into designing and writing up our patterns. We have more than earned the right to choose how our patterns can be used.
If you have an opinion about a designer and choose to disregard policies, keep it to yourself. It's not very classy to demean someone publicly just because they politely reminded you of something you were trying to ignore.
This one is to the person who decided to show there complete lack of class:
I am luckily very young and will not be dieing anytime soon (Lord willing) but many years down the road when I do pass away the rules will remain the same.
I did not rob this world of anything by reminding you of something that others have willingly complied with. What makes you better than them?
I really do think you're shawl is beautiful. It was very well made and the colors are wonderful.
I'm sorry you felt you had to lash out at me in public after I left a VERY polite comment on your project page.
If you really want to sell things you make you might think about designing your own shawls and such. Then you can sell them without issue. That's something that got me designing. It's really quite freeing.
If you have any more opinions you can message me privately on Ravelry.
5 comments:
I'm not surprised by this at all. Some people have no class or conscience about the horrible things they do to others.
I totally agree with you on the patterns...I used to be a craft designer and people don't realize the time and effort it takes to come up with these things that they get the patterns to make. I always used to say it was like my child because I created and birthed the project from my mind and body. It's pretty personal!
I so appreciate your free patterns and get really aggravated by people like that because they ruin it for the rest of us who want to make your beautiful projects for ourselves or for charity.
Thank you for shining the light on this problem..it's unfortunate but it happens all the time.
Blessings - Julie
It takes a very trashy person to take a free design and try to make money off of it. Very trashy people. Doesn't surprise me that in this day and age, the filth of the Earth slither out of their holes and try to take advantage of people. Those that take advantage of such beautiful designs/designers obviously have no talent of their own.
There are quite a few patterns out there that let you sell there free patterns why some people have to steal a pattern from charity is beyond me.
Martina
While I agree with you, I understand that legally your wishes do not have to be respected. Once you post the pattern as free, you imply that it is free. Legally that means to do with whatever they want. If you copyright the pattern then they cannot publish it as their own but they truly can do with it whatever they want. The same is true of a paid for pattern. Once they pay for it you have received your payment. What they do with it after that cannot be controlled by you. (Now if this is not true in your state, please let me know because I know it's true in mine and several others.) This issue has been discussed a lot on Ravelry. Technically you cannot designate a pattern only for charitable purposes. Once it is out there free -- it's out there free.
Now, please let me say that I think it would be very nice for someone to ask you about it and "get permission." It's the proper and courteous thing to do but legally I don't think you can tell them they can't sell the finished product. Please feel free to check with a lawyer. I'm not one but having worked in the legal field for over 30 years, I have seen this issue before -- and yes, for knitting patterns (while not lawsuits certainly legal opinions). I'm really sorry she was so nasty about it. That's just not nice. It makes those of us who design patterns now want to do things for people ever again. I know -- I've been there too. :-(
Julee-- So sorry to hear about your infringement issues on your patterns. It is tough to keep up on all these things and the splog sites out there that reprint our patterns without our approval. It's content theft and is so frustrating to deal with. You did the right thing by pointing out this to the person and it's them that should be ashamed by their behavior and utter lack of courtesy and professionalism.
Hang in there and congrats on the baby news.
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