Anne – I did mention Creative Commons in the post, there’s a link near the end. But perhaps I should have made it more prominent, as I agree with you, its a really great way to share creative ideas!

As for fair use on blogs, I have no idea what the legal implication is. But, I think that if you are using the image to promote the work of another crafter and you attribute the photo to them with a clearly marked link, then that is most likely okay. I have never had anyone complain to me about my use of their photos. That being said, some people may not want you to use their photos without their permission, and may say so on their website, which we should respect. If they object even if it wasn’t stated on their website, they may simply contact you to remove the photo. You could also email for permission before you use the photo if you are worried about it.

Jeanne’s comment about fashion and creativity is an interesting one. I think that to some extent this is true in crafting as well, but it is important to know where that fine line between inspiration and copying really is!

As for patterns, please check out the link about copyright and quilting patterns. My understanding is that using a copyrighted pattern to produce something for sale, unless you have permission from the author, would violate copyright. But I’m no lawyer, that’s just my understanding. As an example, selling bags from amy butler patterns is a violation of copyright, you can see her policy here http://www.amybutlerdesign.com/faqs/

As for Jen’s last comment, I’m sorry if you find it upsetting that I have posted about Heidi’s mistake. I did think about this issue before I posted, but I thought that some may have read the comment about her mistake without having seen the later update with the apology, which I think was really great of her to do. I think that is important that others learn from this mistake, as it seems to happen quite often in the crafting world. However, I do take your point, my intention was never to publicly embarass her, so I have edited this post to remove Heidi’s name, and have simply linked to the original post.

Thanks everyone!

However, she is specifically being pointed out, on the _front page_ of whipup.net and now EVERYONE can see it. Just doesn’t feel right to bring HER specifically to everyone’s attention in this entry! Just because someone mentioned her in the comments in another entry, as using someone’s work, doesn’t seem to me to be a reason she needs to be brought out in full light on the front page _now_. As if this entry was a followup to a full-blown entry previously, which it wasn’t

I’m sure there will be someone else who disagrees with me, & that’s okay. But I feel bad for her that her name is being specifically pointed out to the many who read this blog, when it is not necessary. YES, this entry is great in that it explains copyright issues. I truly mean that. I learned some things myself, and like the links. I’m just soley disappointed that this front page mention of Heidi was done here now. Really disappointed.

My point is: I would hope that someone wouldn’t stand up at a podium at a crafting convention or get-together and pubicly point someone out unecessarily. I see announcing it on the front page here, to be the same thing.

such an interesting issue…thanks for addressing this, laural.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0909/p09s01-coop.html

Quote from above article
“Through fashion we have a ringside seat on the ecology of creativity in a world of networked communication. Ideas arise, evolve through collaboration, gain currency through exposure, mutate in new directions, and diffuse through imitation. ”

I found it interesting because it talks about the way fashion, especially, lives and thrives on inspiration and the reworking of design and the fine line between that and outright copying…

Also note, there is a thing called “fair use” which allows a writer, such as a journalist or blogger, to “quote” a copyrighted article or blog post in small part when writing about it in another forum. I’ve been advised in my line of work that fair use quoting can include quoting a photo from a blog post, as long you attribute and link to it. But I don’t know if this is true. This can be very touchy, since it’s not well understood. And very confusing for those of us who have craft blogs, and who write about other artists. Any thoughts or links on fair use would be wonderful, too.