Pay Day

It's Friday at the office. Better known as "pay day." A day when you pay the mortgage or rent, get your groceries, catch up on bills. The clock ticks and still no check. Something must be wrong and it's almost time to leave. Wait. . . . . here comes the boss. The look on her face says something isn't right.

"I'm sorry everyone. We don't have checks for you this week. Someone has stolen them," she says.

"What?  How can that be?  We've worked for two weeks to get that money! It's ours and we're owed it! We have bills to pay and groceries to buy."

"Oh well," she says. "Just keep working and maybe we can pay you next week. In the meantime, keep up the good work."

**Downloading illegal cross stitch charts from the internet is the same as having a paycheck stolen for a designer. Before you download that chart, ask yourself how you would feel if the above story was about you and your paycheck. 

Fair Use Clause

Clear explanation of the "Fair Use" clause:
http://www.photoattorney.com/?p=299
Copying needlework designs is NOT Fair use!

In the news

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/20/technology/indictment-charges-megaupload-site-with-piracy.html?hp
<<..the Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation seized the Web site Megaupload and charged seven people connected with it with running an international enterprise based on Internet piracy...>>

Association de Défense et de Promotion de la Broderie Européenne

 

In the news -
The TNNA will be rolling out a new education campaign next year.

Q&A

One needlework chart = a lot of questions and some of those questions aren't easily
answered. These Q&A postings will help to separate fact from fiction.

Question of the Week:
Q: My friend has a chart I dearly love but she won't part with it because it is out of print She has offered to make me a copy but I refused. Now I'm wondering if maybe it would have been alright since I can't find it in any of the needlework stores.

A: Out of print doesn't mean "out of copyright". The terms are not interchangeable and more than likely, the copyright still applies. Out of print charts show up on auctions so you can try that approach or write to the
copyright holder and see what they say. You may just be lucky enough to hear that they still have a few copies left or would be willing to reprint a chart if the current demand was great enough. 

The Law says this:
In General. — Copyright in a work created on or after January 1, 1978, subsists from its creation and, except as provided by the following subsections, endures for a term consisting of the life of the author and 70 years after the author's death. This law can be found here:http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap3.html

The purpose of this blog

Dear Readers,
Thank you for stopping by the Copyright blog. 

The purpose of the blog is to educate and create an awareness in the needlework industry as to the seriousness of a problem that seems to be growing larger and larger.  Some people feel that their actions harm no one, so it is the goal of supporters and followers to show you that real people and businesses are feeling the effects of this illegal activity.

No one person or company represents the blog.  We are a community of needlework designers, shop owners and suppliers. 

It is our hope that positive and constructive dialogue can begin in your groups, shops, and neighborhoods.  It's our industry we are trying to preserve for the future. 

We remain positive in the hope that spreading the word of copyright rights and wrongs is the best defense we have toward preservation of the needlework industry.  Some designers have already left the  industry because the fight to preserve what belonged to them was too large.  Though it may sound cliche', every stitcher can make a difference.