I had the interesting experience of writing an article for the IOL Bulletin
and later receiving a request to translate it into German for publication in a
German Lace Mag. I had no idea what the legal status of this request was. I
had no objection to it being republished. In fact, I was flattered. I asked the
IOL and they had no idea whether their permission was required, but said they
had no objection.
In general, for anything you publish in IOLI, you keep the copyright (probably because, while you get a "thank you" of some sort, you do not get *paid*. I wonder if I should be reporting my extra copies of the Bulletin and/or the thank-you bobbins to IRS, and pay taxes on them???), and their permision to republish (in English or any other language) is not needed, if someone else wants the article/pattern. Competition entries are a bit of a "gray area", because, when you enter, you sign the permission for "first dibs" to go to IOLI -- the pattern/etc is still yours, and you can publish it anywhere you want, but only if IOLI is not interested in publishing it *first*.
I always assume that anything I send for a publication in a magazine, is "free for all", without any copyright issues involved; if Robin wants to copy a pattern for every member of her guild, I have no objection -- quite the opposite :)
I used to get asked permission about reprints/copies, and responding was more trouble than it was worth, so then I tried putting in something like "feel free to make copies, but give credit to me for designing" with the patterns. I should have added: "and let me know you've done so, as my reward"; a pattern got reproduced, I only heard about it from third parties -- a lot of bad feelings all around :)
I was also -- once -- asked to *sell* a pattern, and the woman had a hard time taking a "no" for the answer. It was the "Swan" (what else <g>). I told her it had been published in IOLI -- her customers don't subscribe to it (she was Swedish, I think)... I told her it was available to anyone who wanted it on a website -- her customers didn't know a URL from a U-Haul... I finally said that I wasn't ready to enter the tax quagmire for the "cut" I might be expected to get, and she gave up pestering me...
For all I know, she'd found the website, printed it off, and is peddling the pattern to the un-clued. If she does, I think I'd be irritated a bit to learn about it, though it would be an irrational feeling -- I don't mind people copying for their (and/or ther friends') use; I don't mind people making up a pattern in a 100 copies to sell (either for personal profit or for the benefit of a charity), so why "stick" at someone copying a pattern to sell? All I can say is that, to me, it would not be "honourable"...
To change the subject *slightly*...
In many-messages-ago, Clay asked how one could possibly measure the 15-20% of "skew", when it came to an original (artistic) design... Well, I know at least one person who'd done it *mathematically* :) Bought a cross-stitch kit, which depicted a sail-boat on a calm sea. Changed the *direction* in which the pennant was flying (so, OK, it no longer made sense from the *physics* perspective; but there's such a thing as "artistic extension" <g>), and entered it as an original design in a county crafts fair. Won, too, I seem to remember. And very proud of herself, for being so clever -- between the boat and the sea, the area of the pennant was well above the 15%... Takes all kinds :)
Perhaps the IOL is missing a bet. It should have Tom write a regular feature
called "Copyright Corner"
Not a bad idea. Though "Uncle Tom's Corner" seems an inescapable title for the column and I doubt he'd like it :)
----- Tamara P Duvall mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Lexington, Virginia, USA Formerly of Warsaw, Poland
- To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
