Well, what I thought was a minor head cold has turned into a chest cold. Blah. I haven't had a cold in three years, so I can't complain, but it sure is a pain in the, ahem, chest.
I haven't knit much since last Saturday, so this isn't an update about my knitting. I am however, going to ramble on about a couple of controversies I've read about on the net that pertains to knitting. This is just my curiousity and wonderment on where exactly knitting is advancing or perhaps, stagnating.
The first is in reference to a knit blogger who posted a pic of her completed project [as the majority of us knit bloggers do] on her blog. She in turn, was contacted by the designer of the garment she knit, requesting she remove the photo from her blog as she had concerns that it was a copyright violation.
Huh?
I do not have a degree in copyright, nor do I have much interest in learning more about it. I just want to know the basics I need to follow for my particular craft. This was not one of the basics I was informed about. In fact, I'm sure this blogger was not infringing upon anything copyright related and has nothing to worry about, but she decided to be safe and removed her photos from her blog. She did not swipe the photos from another site. These were her photos. I would expect that she owns the copyright to her own photos?
In any case, what I'm trying to get at is the fact that knitting, in general, is a passionate hobby for XXXX amount of people in the world. We take our knitting out in public. We talk about knitting with anyone who will listen and let's face it, even if they aren't. You get the gist? So, how did knitting become so serious? Why all the sensitivity? Aren't we supposed to be enjoying our chosen hobby? It isn't like we are major manufacturors/distributors just waiting in the sidelines ready to rip some designer off. We are individuals that use the craft for many different reasons and we do it responsibly, IMO. Therapy anyone?
This may sound like a diss at the designer, but it is far from it. I greatly admire and respect any designer/artist. They are very special people. I just feel that some things are being taken so far out of context and it makes me want to bury my head in the ground.
It has started with, "You can't take any pics of your finished project, even if you're wearing it to that company Christmas party and you so happen to be in the shot," to "you can only have the pattern if you buy the kit." So now you're stuck with the colours they've chosen for you. You're stuck with not liking the particular yarn that was chosen for you. Next, you'll start finding that designers only want you to make their design in one particular colour, or one particular brand of yarn, or you don't get the pattern. All this because in their printed word, if you don't oblige, it's a copyright violation.
Nanner, nanner, nanner!
What good is my therapy now?
Well, I've rambled on so much about this one topic that I'm too pooped and drugged to talk about the other. Let's be cliche and say,
To be continued...
13 comments:
This post makes so much sense and is so great that if it's alright with you I'm going to link it from my blog in my next post (let me know, k?) ... I believe what you do in regards to that particular blogger. That her photos are not breaking any copyright laws regarding that pattern. If that's the case then I'd better make sure that all my friends know that they can't photograph their babies in the sweaters I've made them because they might be breaking a copyright law. If I were her (and if I had the money to burn) I would hire a lawyer and fight back. It really chaps my arse that the "big guys" can pick on us "little guys" for no good reason! POWER TO THE KNITTERS!
Sounds like the designer is an idiot - I'm way more likely to knit something after a blogger has finished it than I am to knit it based on the pattern picture. I'm sure I'm not alone in that.
Poor ignorant designer who is somehow clueless that advertising, especially word of blog, generates more sales. Is the fear that people will see the design and be able to make a replica w/o buying the pattern? Yeah, someone with experience and ambition could do that, but it's sooo much easier blindly following a well-written pattern. I hope you or your friend will mention the name of the designer. This person's request is actually something that makes me NOT want to buy their products.
as you know, i'm a member of AC4C, a charity crafting group. they are huge on non-violation of copyright laws, and we all post pictures like it's going out of style! i will check with them, but i'm pretty sure they'll tell me that this designer is in the wrong.
however, stithingirl, posting the designer's name is going to open the blogger, and our darling michelle up for a slander/libel suit. (granted i'm not a lawyer, but it screams that to me). on the other hand, if she were to email you with that name, that is just two friends chatting. big dif. (hint, hint, lol)
i'm off to check!
Amazing! The designer was getting free advertising. I buy a lot of patterns based on what I've seen made on blogs. If ever a designer contacted me asking me to remove pictures, I would gladly remove them and inform them that they are not only losing free advertising, but also all of my future business.
I agree with you totally...HUH?
Hope you feel better soon!
great post - and yes, add me to the list of those who'd like to know the name of the pattern and the designer involved so I can be sure to never knit of of those patterns...
How ridiculous! The free advertising that she/he has lost PLUS the bad press for being paranoid will cost him/her their business..
I say again - ridiculous!
i did check, and i was right. granted, they referred me to a copyright lawyer (i know one, lol, he's a family friend), but they said if posting a picture that YOU had taken, of a pattern that you had purchased and YOU had knit/crocheted/crafted, that it is not copyright violation. if that were the case, then they would never put up pictures of their patterns in the first place, because knock off artists could "steal" their copyright. that was mentioned too. knock offs are not copyright infringement. now, if the item has a patent, then it's patent infringement, but still not copyright infringement. all in all, a very paranoid designer (and insecure, too, from the sounds of it). i would be curious as to who this designer is and why they are so worried aobut their designs
I think, and please correct me if I am wrong, the pattern is what is copyrighted and that is what you buy. If I make up new instructions, with a different yarn and different guage is it a copyright infringement? Or is it a knock off? What if I change it a little? I think the pattern, the instructions are what is copyrighted, or is it the idea, the global idea of the sweater?
Bonnie McCartney
I would like to know who/what designer said not to post pics cause i wouldn't want to buy from them, ever. that's like straight up stupid!!! STUPID!! lol
I guess if it gets too out of hand, we'll all have to stop buying patterns and just design our own stuff. =P
I wonder how much they'd like THAT? I join your chorus of nanner nanner nanner.
Turning down free adverisment. Weird. You know, if I designed something and was published, I'd bet offended if no one posted it, b/c that would mean no one liked it, right?
In my little world, everyone who knits is a good-natured, loving, thoughtful person. It bugs me that a designer (and obviously a knitter) is so concerned about the bucks that they can’t appreciate how wonderful it is that others knit up their patterns for their loved ones and gab about it with their friends online or off.
If I were a designer, I would get a kick out of seeing other people’s rendition.
And to boot, this designer is not a very savvy business person and obviously hasn’t connected with her/his audience.
So many people pick up knitting again or learn to because of blogs they read so the whole wool/pattern industry is booming because of bloggers like your friend.
It’s like biting the hand that feeds you. I, like many of you, would boycott any designer that behaves this way.
Nanner nanner nanner!
Anny
PS - hope you feel better soon ;-)
I've read all the wonderful comments and it seems as though we are all in agreement. Why put the stop to free advertising? She didnt post the pattern, just proud pics of her hard earned finished project. And I have chosen many a new project based on its popularity in the knitting bloggers world, why not? I got to see so many great pics of fabulous looking FO's!!!!!
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