Vivienne and all the spiders, Apologies for not joining this thread earlier but I've been making chutney - I'm sure you can all smell it from here.
Here you have hit the nail on the head. For some reason, we lace makers think that to own more patterns than we could make in a life time is a really good idea. Apparantly normal women who would never break the law think nothing of photocopying a pattern and swopping it with a friend. Why? I think that the main reasons and our thinking are as follows: a) Why should I buy a book for £20 or $35 dollars when I only want one pattern. b) But it's out of print and I just HAVE to have that pattern. c) It doesn't harm anyone. d) Everyone else does it. But it does harm someone - the person who designed it, the person who published it and all of us who want it reprinted but can't get it done because apparantly there is no call for it because we've all photocopied it. OK, so when I buy a pattern I always take a copy and prick from that - why? Because then I don't mess up my original from which I work. We wouldn't prick through a page in a book so I wouldn't prick through a single sheet pattern I've bought. That's ok. Legally, I'm allowed to do this as I am doing it for my personal use in order to make the lace so long as I either keep the copy or destroy it ie I don't give it to anyone. However, I am on sticky ground if I give the the single sheet pattern or the pricking to someone else to work from. Some lace designers (but certainly not all) place the caveat on their work that you may give the pricking to a friend to work from but when it falls to pieces they cannot make another pricking. Dodgy. I know that the traditional way to make a pricking was to prick it from another pricking and then true it up (if required) and we are all guilty of at sometime saying to someone -hey give me a copy of that pricking. I've done it (once - I admit it but I claim ignorance and have never done it since) and I've been asked on many an occasion when demonstrating - Oh, I love that - please give me a copy - No bugger off and buy it you cheapskate - that should be our answer but we smile, pleased that someone loved the piece we were making and say - Of course, give me your name and address. Sometimes, I feel like shouting at people - hey it's only 65p including postage to buy it - are you that poor? Or are we saying that we want the pattern at any cost so long as it is nothing. I want this lace pattern and I am going to make it - it is wonderful, such a pretty thing but of course it isn't worth me paying any money for - well, actually I have paid at least 4p for a photocopy - hey if it's only A4 I can scan it on my pc and not pay anything - yippee. Pay for them you cheapskates - if it's beautiful it must be worth the money or go buy something else. Am I the only person in the world who has books of patterns and files of A4 / A3 patterns that I could never make in one life time simply because they are beautiful patterns that I can look at and if I want to, make? There must be more people out there like me ... aren't there ... now I'm worried. So, here's my suggestion - be good bunnies (or frogs if you want) and a) BUY the pattern because it encourages the designers to design more of them. b) Check if it is in copyright before you copy it - if you can't buy it because it is out of print then some publishers are willing for you to send a royalty to them to pass onto the designer if they are still alive or to their estate - IT MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD - when I wanted to copy something (non lace) for teaching in my day job, I contacted the copyright owner who allowed me to do so so long as I gave him credit when I used it and made a donation to charity - mind you he is a really wonderful guy. c) Suggest to the publisher that they pre-sell a piece that they want to republish - say if they get 1/2 to 2/3 of the patterns presold (perhaps 1/2 or all the cost up front and the rest when it's done) which would raise the money to reprint. d) when all else fails, GO MAKE SOMETHING ELSE - it's not the end of the world. My love to you all - I'm off to label my chutney Liz In a message dated 27/08/2003 22:01:05 GMT Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > Subj: Re: [lace] Miss Channer/enforcement issues > Date: 27/08/2003 22:01:05 GMT Standard Time > From: <A HREF="mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]">[EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> > To: <A HREF="mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]">[EMAIL PROTECTED]</A>, <A HREF="mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]">[EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> > Sent from the Internet > > > > Any thoughts of "stealing" copies of the mat are dreadful. However annoying > it may be not being able to get a copy even copying and giving it to your > friend is illegal. Okay perhaps I feel really strongly about it because > Biggins > design and produce patterns which are blatantly copied but it is not morally > > right. > > KEEP LACING, VIVIENNE, BIGGINS > > - > To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: > - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
