Copyright dustup
Crossposted to knitting and my journal.
I was at my local yarn store (LYS) getting another set of DPNs. I’m halfway through a sock and can only find three needles, the ones that the sock is on, which means I’m kind of a standstill until I either find another needle somewhere in the pile of crap in my den or get new ones. I opted for ‘get new ones.’ (By the way, thanks again, Secret Pal, I’m having fun with it!)
Well, of course I can’t go to a LYS without looking at all their yarn and patterns. I was in the pattern room, poking around, when a 20-something woman came in and opened up Last Minute Knited Gifts to the leg warmer pattern. After a minute, she got out a little notepad and started writing down stuff. I watched her for a minute, then spoke up.
Me: “Are you copying down that pattern?”
Her: “Yes.”
Me: “That’s a substantial copyright violation.”
Her: *stare*
I shrugged and met her gaze. Kind of a “Well, it is, so there you have it.”
From here on, imagine her words in an irritated, defensive and snotty tone, and mine in an unconcerned, bland tone. I can’t really convey her “you’re crazy, lady” tone through text.
Her: “Well, I’m just copying down the yarn info.”
Me: “Ah, well that’s okay.”
Her: “And needle size.”
Me: “Uh-huh.”
Her: “I mean, it’s just a knitted tube, it’s not that hard.”
Me: “I agree.”
Her, closing the book: “So that’s all. No reason for you to get all upset or anything.”
Me: “Okay.”
She checked out just ahead of me, and did in fact purchase yarn for the project. I’m not sure whether she purchased the book or not. You know, maybe she really was just writing down the yarn requirements, in which case I definitely apologize. But if that were the case, why bother with the notepad? Why not just carry the book around, or ask the staff and show them the book? And why get so defensive?
I tend to believe that she was copying down the pattern, as she initially said. It’s odd, because it really is super-simple. Cast on X number of stitches, knit in rib for X inches, cast off in pattern. If she’d just been copying down yarn requirements, it would have been very easy to shrug the whole thing off. Yeah, I’m sure I came off as super-knitting-bitch, and I’m sure she felt like, “who died and made you the copyright fairy?”. But I knit for money, and I’d hate for someone to rip off one of my patterns. Stealing from a fellow knitter or designer makes it that much less likely that they’ll be able to afford to put out quality patterns in the future. It’s a matter of courtesy and of self-preservation for our craft.
So for those who asked on my personal journal, that’s the little local yarn store dustup I mentioned. I may have been totally in the wrong – but that’s never stopped me from opening my big yap before. And it won’t again. 🙂
Hehe. Copyright fairy…hehehe.
See if I was doing illegal stuff like that, I’d be embarrassed and be like, Oh I didn’t realize!!…sneak out and then wait for you to leave and sneak back in to continue the copying.
😉
Hehe. Copyright fairy…hehehe.
See if I was doing illegal stuff like that, I’d be embarrassed and be like, Oh I didn’t realize!!…sneak out and then wait for you to leave and sneak back in to continue the copying.
😉
I admit, I did something almost similar when working on a Karabella triangular shawl. But in my case, I realized how simple their version was and that it was basically like every other triangle shawl, just with specifics on how they did the center stitch. So I just did my own version, but with the understanding of how they did theirs.
I can at LEAST claim that I didn’t steal their version whole hog, just understood the principle of it. Plus, I’d just blown fifty bucks on their yarn.
What they were doing… sounds entirely over the edge and icky.
I admit, I did something almost similar when working on a Karabella triangular shawl. But in my case, I realized how simple their version was and that it was basically like every other triangle shawl, just with specifics on how they did the center stitch. So I just did my own version, but with the understanding of how they did theirs.
I can at LEAST claim that I didn’t steal their version whole hog, just understood the principle of it. Plus, I’d just blown fifty bucks on their yarn.
What they were doing… sounds entirely over the edge and icky.
Heh. Triangular shawl patterns put out by yarn companies which call for expensive yarn are strictly a tool to sell that yarn.
I absolve you, my child.
Heh. Triangular shawl patterns put out by yarn companies which call for expensive yarn are strictly a tool to sell that yarn.
I absolve you, my child.
Oh, good. Because I can’t remember how the Hail Mary goes right now.
Oh, good. Because I can’t remember how the Hail Mary goes right now.
Actually, it falls under fair use if you are using the copies for educational purposes and is perfectly a-ok. Do you consider a ‘knitting teacher’ an educator? If she’s really concerned about it she (or you could suggest)can always ask the publisher for permission to reproduce x for y class and it is usually granted, but she’d need to have her class planned 6mos-1yr in advance.
If the girl was copying the pattern from the bookstore she wasn’t violating copyright (bc/s it was for personal use maybe, but if she distributed it then it would be copyright—what she may have done was much worse and a lot simpler)- she was stealing. Stealing from the bookstore, publisher, and author. She was simply a thief.
Anyone can find out how many times a particular book was checked out, but librarians don’t collect and distribute the information to publishers unless the publisher may request it. Can you imagine if they had to contact every publisher (independent and corporate) and say how many times each of their books was checked out?
Actually, it falls under fair use if you are using the copies for educational purposes and is perfectly a-ok. Do you consider a ‘knitting teacher’ an educator? If she’s really concerned about it she (or you could suggest)can always ask the publisher for permission to reproduce x for y class and it is usually granted, but she’d need to have her class planned 6mos-1yr in advance.
If the girl was copying the pattern from the bookstore she wasn’t violating copyright (bc/s it was for personal use maybe, but if she distributed it then it would be copyright—what she may have done was much worse and a lot simpler)- she was stealing. Stealing from the bookstore, publisher, and author. She was simply a thief.
Anyone can find out how many times a particular book was checked out, but librarians don’t collect and distribute the information to publishers unless the publisher may request it. Can you imagine if they had to contact every publisher (independent and corporate) and say how many times each of their books was checked out?
I tried to enter the above in the knitting group … ^^^ so some of it may not make sense in the context here.
I tried to enter the above in the knitting group … ^^^ so some of it may not make sense in the context here.
Hail Mary, full of grace,
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou above women,
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, mother of God,
Pray for us sinners,
Now and at the hour of our death.
I think. I’m not Catholic, so…
Hail Mary, full of grace,
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou above women,
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, mother of God,
Pray for us sinners,
Now and at the hour of our death.
I think. I’m not Catholic, so…
Wow .. very good for a non-catholic! Though I found the above women worthy of a hearty chuckle. ::giggles again:: Catholics aren’t quite THAT obsessive about Mary. Its blessed art though among women. ::ponders:: Though now that I think about it, I think I’ll say it your way around my Mother-in-law the next time. Sometimes its way to much fun to make her break out in hives over the little things. ::goes off to reteach the kids their prayers so everyone can have fun making Granny’s teeth hurt::
Wow .. very good for a non-catholic! Though I found the above women worthy of a hearty chuckle. ::giggles again:: Catholics aren’t quite THAT obsessive about Mary. Its blessed art though among women. ::ponders:: Though now that I think about it, I think I’ll say it your way around my Mother-in-law the next time. Sometimes its way to much fun to make her break out in hives over the little things. ::goes off to reteach the kids their prayers so everyone can have fun making Granny’s teeth hurt::
What, no “Hail Mary, full of grapes?”
What, no “Hail Mary, full of grapes?”
Eh, I was close.
::g::
Have fun with it… 😉
Eh, I was close.
::g::
Have fun with it… 😉
That makes “fruit of thy womb” so much more interesting.
That makes “fruit of thy womb” so much more interesting.