tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post5261453391531605166..comments2024-03-23T16:46:47.415-04:00Comments on Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing: Sewing and Intellectual PropertyGertiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04314542159287533507noreply@blogger.comBlogger113125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-87847157811020580452013-03-17T04:33:08.338-04:002013-03-17T04:33:08.338-04:00Patterns aren't copyrightable just like recipe...Patterns aren't copyrightable just like recipes aren't copyrightable. There's only so many combinations of flavors that are palatable, only so many combinations of cuts that are practical/wearable. If they were copyrightable we'd never be able to eat or sew at home ever again. Monopolies would dominate the industry and it would be bad for business, much less the hobbyist at home.<br /><br />Someone brought up source code. Well even that is hardly copyrightable. Layout is not copyrightable; code structure is not copyrightable; programming logic is not copyrightable... even interfaces aren't copyrightable. What is copyrightable is a very small gray area. There are only so many ways to skin a cat, as they say. Having some programming experience myself, I can't entirely agree that source code should be copyrightable at all. I'm glad the courts are conservative in this area.<br /><br />But back on topic. <br /><br />I think doing any and all of the above is acceptable with one exception: returning an altered garment. When you pay for a product you assume that it is brand new unless marked otherwise. Refurbished items have to be marked as such, even if they've been completely checked by the manufacturer to be perfect in every respect. <br /><br />Nobody wants a shoddy reconstruction when they're paying good money for a designer item. I'm not saying you're a bad seamstress, but if it's okay for you to do, then it's okay for everyone. We can't assume that everyone will do a good job, when there are no ramifications if they don't.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-58787056021991093382012-04-25T16:31:50.070-04:002012-04-25T16:31:50.070-04:00I thought you were going to give some insight on f...I thought you were going to give some insight on furniture and not leave us hanging to decide.discount furniturehttp://buyitnowfurniture.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-88315271454279714232011-07-27T11:11:26.556-04:002011-07-27T11:11:26.556-04:00I'm late to the party on this, but there are l...I'm late to the party on this, but there are limits to what can be "owned" as intellectual property. Ideas cannot be copyrighted, only the expression of ideas. It is perfectly legal and ethical to share recipes, for example - and even to republish them, as long as you rewrite the description and instructions in your own words. The ingredient list is no more copyrightable than the facts in a news story or a historical event. I see clothing design the same way - the features of the garment are the facts or ingredients. The drafting and assembly are the expression of the idea and you must do them for yourself. <br />In fact, copying a garment from a photo, or even from trying it on in the store, is more like trying to re-create a recipe from the taste of the food. <br />Buying a garment and returning it to wear, or trace, is unethical because it is deceptive. You are taking the benefits of possession without paying for the benefit.Ellennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-43575635791702477242011-03-14T10:43:41.396-04:002011-03-14T10:43:41.396-04:00I don't really take issue with anyone buying a...I don't really take issue with anyone buying a dress, taking it apart and copying it. My mom once had an amazingly well-fitting pair of pants, which she took to a tailor with different fabrics (winter wool, cottony-linen summery stuff, etc) so she could have the same pants for different seasons. I have a few favorite skirts that I probably should make over in a few different fabrics, if only I were a better sewer. To my mind, that's way different than buying something, using it, and returning it. Whether you wear it with the tags tucked in or you take it apart and stitch it back up, you've used it and it shouldn't be returned as 'new/unused' merchandise. <br /><br />Of course, I mean general you, not specifically YOU, haha. I realize you'd never <i>dream</i> of returning something that had been taken apart. Who would, really?meredithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16934496437972189311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-10519686880034195682011-03-08T14:20:33.639-05:002011-03-08T14:20:33.639-05:00This is a great topic! As someone who works for a...This is a great topic! As someone who works for a major clothing manufacturer I can tell you that buying higher end garments and using them as 'inspiration' pieces is a very common practice. Most designers do it to some extent or another. Telling yourself 'everyone does it', however does not make it right.<br /><br />It is unethical and fraudulent to buy, deconstruct and then reconstruct a garment to return to a store. You are doing so to create a counterfeit garment and not an 'inspiration' of the original.Laurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07229302325634368943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-68780713255094065032011-02-03T02:01:08.175-05:002011-02-03T02:01:08.175-05:00I love fashion show and these cloth's collecti...I love fashion show and these cloth's collection are really awesome, I love them design.vans shoeshttp://www.nucleus-online.com/vans-shoes/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-31971216337074014412011-01-21T07:15:56.300-05:002011-01-21T07:15:56.300-05:00The idea of patenting cloth designs is a great one...The idea of patenting cloth designs is a great one considering that there are some designs that are so unique and original and that have taken the designers great a lot of time and effort to develop.<br /><br />--<br /><a href="http://www.fulcrumpatentsolutions.com/" rel="nofollow">Reverse Engineering</a>Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05240609304832690740noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-88754895716868109402011-01-18T15:48:45.710-05:002011-01-18T15:48:45.710-05:00Totally fine, particularly if you're doing it ...Totally fine, particularly if you're doing it to wear yourself. I mean, if you heard about a great book about a bunny that got made real because a boy loved it, then made up your own story along those lines to tell your kids at bedtime, would that be a problem? Or if you saw a pretty scarf and then knit a similar one? Or heard a song about a yellow submarine, and sung it in the shower?<br /><br />Personally, as an artist, I think it's a compliment. It's like you've then contributed to the conversation by inspiring someone else and that's what it's all about to me. :)Robin Lemkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12254896327174187893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-12870618231812934082011-01-18T14:50:40.970-05:002011-01-18T14:50:40.970-05:00I found this highly interesting!
http://blog.ted.c...I found this highly interesting!<br />http://blog.ted.com/2010/05/25/lessons_from_fa/<br />And this is quite useful<br />http://whatthecraft.com/quickie-guide-to-copyright-law/A Girl Ablehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06040516038953754992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-60414734441946613012011-01-18T01:36:31.979-05:002011-01-18T01:36:31.979-05:00I confess my sewing is not of a standard where the...I confess my sewing is not of a standard where there is much risk of my clothes being confused with the designer original. There arn't many new ideas in clothing or craft sewing. My personal favorite is always the blogging crafters outraged at another crafter stealing their design, invariably something bag shaped or 1970's toy shaped...he he he he. Lets just boot up our machines and have some fun- acnowledging our ideas will always be unconsiously influenced by our culture.Megannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-34165306724403020792011-01-17T05:16:38.487-05:002011-01-17T05:16:38.487-05:00There are hundreds or thousands of years of dressm...There are hundreds or thousands of years of dressmakers and tailors preceding them so every designer's work is derivative. In fact as a customer you are not just paying for the design, you are paying for the fabric and the construction labor and shipping etc too.<br /><br />Nobody owns a sweetheart nackline. But if you feel you have to be stealthy about copyiing something, you are probably *feeling* that it's dishonest. You should heed your conscience.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-88177861602869935022011-01-15T10:24:52.204-05:002011-01-15T10:24:52.204-05:00I have borrowed ideas from Anthropologie's kni...I have borrowed ideas from Anthropologie's knitted items for years, but I don't sell my items or patterns. I don't copy an item outright though.YGirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05375734512340097526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-54015204413179348642011-01-15T05:21:01.411-05:002011-01-15T05:21:01.411-05:00This is a very interesting post, and I've enjo...This is a very interesting post, and I've enjoyed reading everyone's comments!<br /><br />It's an age-old problem I'm sure, and Dior writes about it in his biog 'Dior', about the lengths people would go to, to copy his 'New Look'. They were incredibly devious and underhanded! <br /><br />Miss P xxPorcelinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02202283149145094340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-74969855895577757702011-01-14T16:31:27.446-05:002011-01-14T16:31:27.446-05:00Perhaps part of the difference between copying a d...Perhaps part of the difference between copying a design at home for yourself (consensus seems to say OK) with copying a design and selling it (consensus says not OK) is that in the latter case you aren't acknowledging the original designer's work, as well as taking money from customers that would have potentially gone to him/her? <br /><br />Like most, I would feel no qualms about copying a design I liked just for myself, but I would definitely draw the line at doing anything that would affect the original seller, like buying the dress, taking it apart and putting it back together.Sasha Rockethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08562629431009481946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-51975854482093658422011-01-14T11:24:04.211-05:002011-01-14T11:24:04.211-05:00Anthropologie is actually notorious for copying fa...Anthropologie is actually notorious for copying fashions of independent designers, whether intentionally or not. I think it's important to put your own spin on the design to make it your own. Then it becomes an issue of re-appropriation rather than flagrant copying. :)Alex B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07428596598700585604noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-62871260984434563012011-01-14T10:25:38.536-05:002011-01-14T10:25:38.536-05:00It's all about profit. When someone duplicates...It's all about profit. When someone duplicates an item, sometimes the duplicator could have afforded the purchase, and sometimes not. If not, the designer has lost nothing, as the duplicator wouldn't have purchased the item in the first place.<br /><br />What if the duplicator could afford the original, but it was ill-fitting? Personally I don't see the dilemma there; after all, half of us learned to sew for that very reason.<br /><br />As long as the duplicator is not turning a profit at the expense of the designer, then there's no moral issue at all.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-28466332086287280482011-01-14T10:24:21.383-05:002011-01-14T10:24:21.383-05:00I think it's OK to copy designer clothing patt...I think it's OK to copy <a href="http://www.loehmanns.com/discount-shopping/designer-clothing-michigan.aspx" rel="nofollow">designer clothing</a> patterns directly if you're not doing it for commercial purposes. If you do the stitch-by-stitch method, its OK if you're just making a dress for yourself. <br /><br />However, it gets to be a bit much if you plan on mass-producing the garment for profit. If you really like a design, be creative and create your own pattern based off of it. You'll feel better about yourself and your work in the end.Diva Discounthttp://www.loehmanns.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-86033744702665468222011-01-14T09:28:21.854-05:002011-01-14T09:28:21.854-05:00Taking how much designers are copying the blogging...Taking how much designers are copying the blogging community there should be no qualms for copying a dress for your own use...none what. so. ever.<br /><br />It's akin to going out to eat and remaking the recipe at home, you've gotta have skills to parse out a recipe by taste as you've have to be resourceful to copy a pattern from an already made dress. Now, copying and making to sell, that would be a whole different tangle of issues.mandyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04588405031006945942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-13224189147198917512011-01-14T06:41:36.201-05:002011-01-14T06:41:36.201-05:00It's just fashion, not the cure for cancer...a...It's just fashion, not the cure for cancer...and while I hugely admire DVF as a designer the IP protection she is pursuing for fashion will absolutely be a case of "Be careful what you wish for."phyllishttp://www.etsy.com/shop/pcrainenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-65707114695332476652011-01-14T02:34:43.260-05:002011-01-14T02:34:43.260-05:00Ehm, I meant literal inspiration for the home seam...Ehm, I meant literal inspiration for the home seamstress. Producing larger numbers and selling those would be wrong in my book.Laurianahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16602295642057814667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-18773531645953683722011-01-14T02:31:37.125-05:002011-01-14T02:31:37.125-05:00I take the same approach as you do. I don't bu...I take the same approach as you do. I don't buy to copy but I don't see anything wrong with using designer or vintage clothes as rather literal inspiration.<br /><br />'Real' designers do much worse. I once helped a small new brand with pattern making and the designer had 'made' all her blocks by buying chain store clothes and taking them apart. And there are plenty of stories of designers giving vintage pieces the same treatment...Laurianahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16602295642057814667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-13396791178784947662011-01-14T02:14:21.160-05:002011-01-14T02:14:21.160-05:00Check out:
http://www.ted.com/talks/johanna_blak...Check out: <br /><br />http://www.ted.com/talks/johanna_blakley_lessons_from_fashion_s_free_culture.html<br /><br />She talks about the advantages of the lack of copyright in the fashion industry. I really enjoy her take on things.<br /><br />I'm all for looking at stuff and making your own take on it.<br />I would have to object to buying and returning for the purpose of copying though.Zoenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-36546262495460678322011-01-14T01:31:11.947-05:002011-01-14T01:31:11.947-05:00Hi Gertie! I'm not sure if someone has linked ...Hi Gertie! I'm not sure if someone has linked to this video already, but you might want to watch this http://www.ted.com/talks/johanna_blakley_lessons_from_fashion_s_free_culture.html, I'm a fashion student and I had to write an essay on this topic, and that video. It's pretty interesting. :)Fordehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05573518960102145847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-79258305242454272902011-01-14T01:21:08.018-05:002011-01-14T01:21:08.018-05:00I think it's a matter of inspiration vs copyin...I think it's a matter of inspiration vs copying. There are differences, for sure. Taking apart a dress, getting the pattern, and returning the dress is so horribly disrespectful. I have a husband whose livelihood depends on people respecting copyright, and that suggestion is truly atrocious! <br /><br />Using old clothing, not being sold anymore, and getting a pattern for reproduction happens all the time - I am fine with that, as long as the original company is out of business, or not selling anymore. <br /><br />Taking change room photos is a little ify to me. Taking mannequin photos, or store photos is fine. You still need to draft the pattern yourself. <br /><br />And then there is the argument that most of us reach into the same pool for inspiration, so original (not copied) ideas can occur to multiple people at the same time. <br /><br />I don't think style should be copyrighted. Only the pattern itself makes sense to me to be protected. One can still arrive at a similar place by drafting their own pattern from scratch, and why not? There are only so many ways to clothe ourselves. Like recipes. You cannot copyright an ingredient list, only the instructions.Katnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-73942977027573230212011-01-14T00:55:52.993-05:002011-01-14T00:55:52.993-05:00@copyright:
If there would be a copyright, it wou...@copyright:<br /><br />If there would be a copyright, it would provide more fuss, than order. <br />Everything(!), really, nearly everything has been made so far. <br />Where would you put a copyright design for a -simple and puristic- sheath dress? It's an issue, such laws are not executed yet particularly because of this reason.<br /><br />@comparison with music laws<br />music is somehow "measurable"<br />There are so far less possibilities to copy a song completely, than to copy a dress, because in the mathematic sense there are more parameters to cope. <br />But, if the idea of an old song gets through a new one, there are made charges, afaik.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02659787234559994217noreply@blogger.com