In light of the many cases of copyright infringement in the indie crafting community lately, I thought I would start a new poll this month on the topic. Unlike the many obvious copyright thefts (see Sublime Stitching, Syko, and Greenbean Baby to name only a few...) what about selling something that you made from an online tutorial?
On one hand, this is clearly a process that someone took the time to think about, work the kinks out and show you how to do step-by-step. On the other hand, it is something they offered online, free of charge to everyone.
What are the guidelines for something like this? How about courtesy? It seems like the safest thing to do would be to email the person and ask their permission to use their tutorial to sell your own projects. But what if they never write you back?
I would love to hear your take on the subject!!
Thanks,
Kristen Mary
1 comments:
I agree with your take, that people should ask permission before using an online tutorial or pattern for production (making many of the thing to sell). I also think it would be helpful for people who post tutorials to be specific: is this intended for individual, non-commercial purposes only or is it up there to do with as one wishes? In as much as the law can/should be specific, I think it's so important for people to be honest and look in their own hearts for the answer: are you blatantly taking someone else's idea, someone else's creativity, and using it yourself for your own gain? Or as you create the kind of thing (a doll, a bag, an item of clothing) of which there are millions (billions?) already out there in the world, are you giving to it your own twist, your own creativity, your own flair?
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