From the top of every page on this Forum:

Important: Sharing photocopies of patterns or charts without the express consent of the publisher or designer is a copyright violation and is not allowed.

Personally, if I were you I'd either call or email Mary Maxim, explain the problem, and see if they have a solution.

I was not looking for a free pattern. I paid for it from Mary Maxim. But I found it on Ebay by the original person that designed the pattern and paid for another copy.

"Does anyone have one to share?"

Asking for someone to share a pattern implies that you are asking if someone will give you a copy at no additional charge. Yes, you paid Mary Maxim for the pattern, but you lost it. That doesn't entitle you, legally, to obtain additional copies for free, unless you contact the Mary Maxim company and MM gives you another copy at no charge.

If the designer gave rights to Mary Maxim to use this is she in violation of selling the pattern only on e-bay? I was just curious if you have your pattern published if you still retain the rights to it to do as you want and can do that. Mary

That's enough of this forum for me. I constantly read people asking for patterns,. Did not ask for anything for free. Get a life..............

jlmatt don't leave
this kind of conversation goes on at the quilting forum and sewing forum and any place here that loves these crafts . It sours a lot of good people stay with us.\

When someone here asks "to share" -- does NOT automatically imply that they want a freebee...let alone to violate copyright.
I am on many forums and it now seems the norm to shorten the message by just saying "share" when they are really saying -- will trade/buy -- point me in the direction of -- any sales you know of? -- etc, etc. So in actuality, they are asking to share info not the pattern. So for the "some of you", take a chill pill.
Yes, this happens on other sites, but this forum is the worst offender for folks like lindsey, who throws the CR laws in everyone's face at every turn and every post requesting help. I just keep a list of "bashers" and totally ignore their posts. When it comes their time in the need of help -- oh well -- they made their bed.
Message for everyone - Please don't leave this board because of a few. I myself have learned alot from all the nice folks here by reading their posts. I was always afraid to even attempt to knit socks, but because of folks here, it doesn't seem so intimidating a project. :>))

jlmatt - I second the motion - Please don't leave.
Happy needling to all.

Could someone here please explain to me if or when a copyright expires? I know that in other situations a copyright has limited life or has to be renewed to be extended. What is the law pertaining to needlework designs? If there is no time limit, what happens when the designer is no longer living? I know there are sites where you can download vintage patterns for free. Are these still under copyright? Did someone go to a site on the internet to ascertain whether the OP was asking for a copyrighted pattern? And if so where might that be?

I'm not trying to be facetious, I really want to know.

When you say share people have no way of knowing you mean buy so just say buy next time so there is no misunderstanding.

I know there are a lot of OOP cross stitch patterns from like the 70's and it's illegal to photo copy and share them. I remember a discussion once on how far back for cross stitch and I think it's a very long time before there is no more copy right.

I was just curious if the designer had the pattern plublished through Mary Maxim then the designer decides to turn around and sell the pattern to people on e-bay if that's legal.

I also remember reading if you have a pattern you designed and offer it free on the net then it gets accpeted to the crochet a day calendar that you agree if it's published you can't have it free anymore, not sure about magazines though. Mary

"The Copyright law is posted at the top of this message board for all to see."

Yes, it is now, but it hasn't always been that way. In fact, it's only been sometime in the last couple of months that the warning was put up there, and it was as a direct result of this board having become overrun with requests for folks to illegally share copyrighted patterns. A few of us (yes, more than just Sandra Ferguson and I) had posted warnings about copyright violation. Geez, wow, you wouldn't believe the snarky comments that were made. And, a pattern designer had even posted a request that folks stop asking for copies of a particular pattern of hers.

And, no, when folks ignore the warning and continue to ask for, and receive, illegal copies of patterns it's not just "their own problem." Are you familiar with the concept of being an accessory to a crime? If this blatant disregard for the law continues, iVillage/GardenWeb could find itself in a heap of trouble for providing a medium in which folks can feed their illegal habit.

I'm glad to see lots of opinions. We're all different people and have different points of view. Some are more vocal than others. Heated discussions happen at one time or another on all forums. Stand up for your own point of view, and if it isn't shared by others, just agree to disagree.

I think that the word "share" in the original post does imply "free". I've never "shared" anything for money. And when my mommy told me to share it meant give some.

Tripleflex- You really don't know the occupations of the forum members. There are lawyers who like to knit and crochet too.

Jlmatt- So you probably used the wrong word. It happens to all of us at one time or another. Certainly not a big enough deal to take all you marbles and go home. Just chalk it up to experience and get on with your project.

I know nothing about those dolls or their clothes and it would be fun to see how it comes out for you. Hope you will post a photo and "share" it with all of us. ;-)

-Babka

I can tell you this. Quite a few cross stitch designers have nailed people selling copies of their patterns on e-bay. One noted designer has a lawyer that handles that stuff for her so designers do care about their patterns and copy right and some pursue it. Mary

The following is a portion of the article I found regarding copyright laws. I've only copied the "short" version here as there was a great deal of history regarding the when & why of the latest changes. As I read this, as long as a published pattern is copyrighted, you must have written consent to copy or reproduce it in any way. So, I am wondering how a site can offer mid century patterns as vintage without this.

Essentially, unless you want to do a lot of copyright research, you must assume that more than likely, you need written consent to copy any pattern unless you know it was created prior to 1922.

==============================
Length of Copyright Protection

Summary of copyright protection after Bono (as I understand it):

Works published Jan. 1, 1978, and after are protected for 70 years after the death of the author. For joint works, it is 70 years after the death of the last author to die.

Works "published" by corporations and created by employees as part of their jobs (called work-for-hire) are protected for 95 years from publication or for 120 years from creation.

Works created before Jan. 1, 1978, but not published by that date are protected for the life of the author plus 70 years or until Dec. 31, 2002, whichever is later. If the work is published on or before Dec. 31, 2002, protection will expire on Dec. 31, 2047, regardless of when the author died.

Works created between Jan. 1, 1923, and Dec. 31, 1977, have protection based on renewal periods/dates rather than the author's death date. Works from this era will require careful research in the Copyright Office's records to find out if a renewal was made during the appropriate window. If this was not done or not done properly, protection expired after the first term, and the work has fallen into the public domain. If, however, renewals were done correctly, the maximum protection period is 95 years.

Similarly, works created January 1, 1964, through December 31, 1977, are protected for 95 years from the date of creation.

Works created in 1922 or before are now public domain. No new material will enter the public domain for another 20 years.

============================================

And, copyright violation is a federal offense, punishable by fine, imprisonment, or both.

So, bash me all you want for "reminding" folks that asking for, or offering to, share patterns is a copyright violation. If you want to risk it, it's no skin off my back. At least I know I sleep with a clear conscience.