Previously: A lot of people wrote a heap of stuff on what is or isn't acceptable, the other side of piracy etc etc etc - not quoted here to save space.
People seem to be making the whole IP/copyright/piracy thing a great deal more complicated than it needs to be, arguing that this is justified, that’s not a crime, the reasons for the other are….all of which seems to completely miss the point. It’s worth returning to some fundamental principles: 1. 1. It’s up to designers if and when they choose to make their content available and what channel they use for this. Whether that’s through a publisher, their own website, a society’s booklet or online purchase scheme, a youtube video – whatever. It’s their content and their choice. 2. 2. Nobody has the right to circumvent the designer’s choice of distribution for any reason. It’s not their decision to make. Ever. 3. 3. It doesn’t matter whether you like the publishing industry or not. If a designer chooses to use a publisher and put their designs out there in a book, that’s their choice. Respect it or fold something else. 4. 4. If the political reality of a country makes it difficult to access books written by a particular designer then your problem is with the political leaders – not the designer, and not the publisher. You still don’t have the right to override the designer’s wishes. Respect them, fold something else or have the courtesy to email the designer and ask politely. Don’t think that somehow that gives you a right to just ignore the designer’s wishes without bothering to consult them. It doesn’t. Anybody who thinks that somehow the intent, wishes and preferences of a designer don’t apply to them because of their particular circumstances is just plain wrong. You’re not special. You're no different to anybody else. Accept that or fold something else. If that doesn’t work for you, take up knitting. Think of origami like a tree. You can either feed it and water it and there will be enough fruit for everyone, or you can be a parasite that takes and takes and takes until the tree dies.
