No, selling scanned copies of "vintage" patterns is not a great idea. It is very likely that you supported a violation of copyright law by purchasing that pattern pdf on Etsy. In the UK (as in the US) copyright runs until 70 years after the death of the author. That means the author of that pattern would need to have died prior to 1955 for it to be legal for someone to scan the pattern and sell you a downloadable pdf. The styling of those photos does not look pre-1955 to me.
I know that selling scanned downloads of "vintage" patterns is a common practice on Etsy. That doesn't make it legal. I have seen copies of my own patterns for sale on Etsy, and I'm certainly not dead yet (though I may be vintage.) In the case of the pattern you bought, the designer may not be identified—it may have been designed by a Sirdar employee, in which case the copyright is owned by Sirdar.
Please support the livelihood of designers by being aware of copyright law and refusing to purchase pdfs of patterns copied in violation of copyright law. Thank you!
Thank you! I think lots of people believe selling these scanned patterns is legal. But Etsy doesn't police listings for copyright violation. The owner or creator of the work must 1) become aware of the infringement and 2) file a complaint (accompanied by documentation) for Etsy to take down the listing.
You are mistaken. While ideas and designs cannot be copyrighted, the written expression of those designs (in this case, in the form of a pattern) is protected by copyright. Under US copyright law, they are considered a literary work and accorded the same protection as books and other written work.
But looking at something and figuring out how to knit it??????? I don't believe its illegal...... just the same as reading a book and thinking you could write it better and doing so is legal.
Blessings all.
Ps.... Adding please. Thank you, or even an "I'm sorry to say" might make such posts more appreciated.
You are correct - looking at something and figuring out how to knit it is not a copyright violation. But that's not the case here. In this case, printed patterns are scanned and being re-sold as pdfs in violation of copyright. Just the same as scanning a book and selling pdf copies.
That's good to hear.
I guess asking for indicator in subject line would be a tiny bit underappreciating, huh? Lol.
Blessings all.
I'm pouting a little, I think
Weren't you posting gardening videos???
Anyway, lovely knitting. I always wanted to learn crochet but never did. Bad of me 🤷🤔🌺🤔
Also. I tried your coffee buying link from email,
But couldn't get it to work. I'll try again in a day or two.
Many blessings everyone everywhere and always.
Thank you very much for trying! I post about gardening, knitting, crafting, sewing...all kinds of creative pursuits!
Hello Amy -
No, selling scanned copies of "vintage" patterns is not a great idea. It is very likely that you supported a violation of copyright law by purchasing that pattern pdf on Etsy. In the UK (as in the US) copyright runs until 70 years after the death of the author. That means the author of that pattern would need to have died prior to 1955 for it to be legal for someone to scan the pattern and sell you a downloadable pdf. The styling of those photos does not look pre-1955 to me.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/copyright-notice-knitting-and-sewing-patterns/copyright-notice-knitting-and-sewing-patterns#:
I know that selling scanned downloads of "vintage" patterns is a common practice on Etsy. That doesn't make it legal. I have seen copies of my own patterns for sale on Etsy, and I'm certainly not dead yet (though I may be vintage.) In the case of the pattern you bought, the designer may not be identified—it may have been designed by a Sirdar employee, in which case the copyright is owned by Sirdar.
Please support the livelihood of designers by being aware of copyright law and refusing to purchase pdfs of patterns copied in violation of copyright law. Thank you!
Gosh, I had no idea, I assumed that it being available for sale meant it was out of copyright! Clearly not!
In the interests of transparency, I've left my original text intact but edited the post to add this point. Thanks for making me aware!
Thank you! I think lots of people believe selling these scanned patterns is legal. But Etsy doesn't police listings for copyright violation. The owner or creator of the work must 1) become aware of the infringement and 2) file a complaint (accompanied by documentation) for Etsy to take down the listing.
In USA, I'm fairly certain patterns can't be copyrighted.... Neither can recipes, I'm sure.
Many blessings everyone everywhere and always
You are mistaken. While ideas and designs cannot be copyrighted, the written expression of those designs (in this case, in the form of a pattern) is protected by copyright. Under US copyright law, they are considered a literary work and accorded the same protection as books and other written work.
Written patterns, pattern charts, maybe.
But looking at something and figuring out how to knit it??????? I don't believe its illegal...... just the same as reading a book and thinking you could write it better and doing so is legal.
Blessings all.
Ps.... Adding please. Thank you, or even an "I'm sorry to say" might make such posts more appreciated.
You are correct - looking at something and figuring out how to knit it is not a copyright violation. But that's not the case here. In this case, printed patterns are scanned and being re-sold as pdfs in violation of copyright. Just the same as scanning a book and selling pdf copies.