If I crochet and get my patterns from books and off the net, Is it legal for me to sell these items?

Answer 1

Crochet patterns are usually traditional patterns used over many generations and since you are selling the item made using crochet as your own and not the pattern hence i think its absolutely legal. I have personally never heard of copy rights of crochet designs but if you are taking it off the net am sure they will mention if it has one....then proceed by taking permission.

Answer 2

Hum - not sure but leaning towards saying it should be okay. Books are published and the authors makes their money on instructing people how to do the crochet. See no reason why it would be illegal to sell a finished item. However stuff found on the net might be from a questionable source but who is to say that you didn't come up with the crochet pattern on your own? Think it would be really hard to prove copyright infringement.

Answer 3

Nope, not really. Generally, a website will state whether you can use them or not. Look around. But, books contain copyrighted material, and that includes the pattern. If you're talking about the fact that you used a pattern from a book to knit for your Great Aunt Irma and she paid you for the materials, that's all right. If you're interested in selling items, you'll need to first ensure that the patterns are not copyrighted in any way. Creating your own patterns isn't that hard! Give it a try!

Answer 4

NO, in general. Nearly every pattern published will state who holds the copyright and often includes a statement such as, "For personal use only" or "Not to be used to make items for profit." Sometimes they will say that you can make items to give to charities or for bazaars to raise money for charities. Sometimes you find ones that say you can sell the item but not on the Internet or within a certain radius of where the artist lives and sells them her/himself. Some say go for it but put the designer's name or URL on the tag. I have one that says you can sell up to a hundred a year but no more.

You should be careful because they spent time designing these things and have the right to profit from them or to say how their design is used. It's only respectful; think if you designed an item and put the pattern out there, then found it in consignment stores and bazaars and flea markets competing with you, when you're trying to make a little profit from selling the item yourself. It would make you feel like not publishing the next fabulous pattern you design, huh?

I bet you could design your own items and sell them.

Answer 5

It is best to seek permission from the publisher, designer or copyright holder of published patterns. Copyrights, especially for cartoon characters, are held by corporations that have extensive long term rights to them and sell the licenses to produce them quite selectively and they do PROSECUTE people who make them and sell them at craft fairs and such. Even if you don't know who wrote a given pattern, the book or magazine it is in will have a copyright notice on the editorial page as do most individually sold patterns. Internet patterns are generally also protected even if there isn't a printed notice. Patterns that are ok for such use generally say so.

Answer 6

Not if the design is copyrighted.

Bottom line tho, unless you're going to be making and selling them commercially (like in a factory and mass producing) who's going to know? It's not like anyone is out policing craft fairs or anything.

First, the copyright holder would have to know you are doing this, then, you'd probably have to be making lots of them and making money hand over fist for it to be worth their while to come after you.

If someone really wants their designs to be secret, they shouldn't put the patterns on the net or in books.

If you're really concerned about it, change the pattern or design enough that it's considered original, I think it's by something like 15%.

Answer 7

I don't crochet but I do sew.I've been told you have to be careful with things that are copyrighted and patented.Example I could make something for you from"Walt DIsney" but I could not sell it with out permission.As for crochet-you see it at craft sales.The church bazzar too-they sell everything;and it's not all original work.Go ahead and crochet your goods.Just check with local trade office about anything that may be protected.Good luck with your venture.

Answer 8

As long as there are no copyright protections on the patterns then it is legal. I am not a lawyer though.

Answer 9

as long as there is no copyright on it

Answer 10

Sure, it is done all the time.