Adele wrote: <Hmmm. Not to start an international copyright war, or anything, but - suppose somebody did make that mat from the photo, without using the pricking that Ruth Bean published. Would they be able to, say, make a hi-resolution scan of the mat that they made, and then either sell it or provide it to lacemakers for free, and have it all be perfectly legal?>
I wouldn't have thought it would be legal. I haven't compared the two, but isn't the Ruth Bean one a "version" of the mat - i.e. not an exact copy of the original. Both of those designs and photos would still be under copyright, but you could always make a pricking of a similar mat of your own design which had different elements in it. If the original and Ruth Bean ones aren't identical, then that's what has been done there and Patricia Bury produced a pricking based on the photo. You'd have to get legal advice on whether or not you could photocopy the existing pricking and than makes changes to it or if you'd have to start with a blank canvas. Jean in Poole, Dorset, UK - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
