copyright for crafters
question 6: Why is it okay to lend my copy of the latest Stephen King book to a friend, but it’s not okay to give her a copy of my favourite pattern?
Because it has to do with making copies. Remember, copyright gives the copyright owner to control the making of copies.
That Stephen King book… did you make a copy of it to give to your friend, or did you just give her the book you bought from the store? You probably just gave her the book you bought. That’s okay, because you didn’t make a copy of the book.
But that pattern… you wanted to share it, but you wanted to keep a copy for yourself, too. So you made a copy. Maybe by scanning it and e-mailing it, maybe by photocopying it and mailing it the old-fashioned way… but you made a copy of the pattern. And you didn’t ask the copyright owner’s permission beforehand. You took away the copyright owner’s right to control how copies are made of her work That is copyright infringement.
What could you have done instead? If you had just let your friend borrow the original pattern that you bought, without keeping a copy for yourself, then that’s okay, because you didn’t make a copy. Copyright law doesn’t stop you from lending your patterns or books to your friends. It only prevents you from making unauthorized copies.
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