Sharing purchased patterns

Dear designers,

this morning I found an invitation to a Facebook group in my inbox, and when I went to check it out, it was like a light bulb went off in my head.
Apparently, this woman doesn’t know that I’m also a designer.

On top of that, she posted a super long favorites list featuring several designers and their items (the list is from E....) who also offer their patterns here.
I’m not on E...... myself.
But read for yourselves:
Link removed, Mod.
[Image removed] Crochet patterns [Image removed] Some people have asked me if I’d like to have some patterns [Image removed] Of course I’d love to have them, and I’d be thrilled if you’d send me the patterns you’d like to share with me [Image removed][Image removed][Image removed][Image removed] And yes, I’ll be honest… I’d also be happy to receive purchased ones [Image removed] No one here will find out—I’m posting my email address here now, and whoever wants to can, and whoever doesn’t, well, they don’t have to [Image removed] And I’m also going to disable the comments section because I’m just tired of this discussion [Image removed][Image removed][Image removed][Image removed]And in the pictures, you’ll find my “SMALL[Image removed]” Etsy favorites list (I took a screenshot of it). Maybe there’s something there for one of you—you can buy it and maybe send me a copy[Image removed]. In the comments—which I’ll only enable if I want to post something there—I’ll list the ones I’ve received [Image removed][Image removed][Image removed][Image removed][Image removed][Image removed][Image removed][Image removed][Image removed][Image removed][Image removed][Image removed][Image removed][Image removed]Here’s my email address: removed. Mod.
Thank you very much [Image removed][Image removed]






I

Hey,
that’s really bad. But the lady probably isn’t even breaking the law by doing this. It’s more likely the group members who are sharing purchased patterns. But you could also see that as a gift. As long as the patterns aren’t publicly visible or displayed, there’s probably nothing that can be done about it. I’d be interested in seeing the Etsy list. If anyone finds themselves on it, maybe we could give this lady a little scare by reaching out to her....
Best regards, Birgit

Really brazen🤮 and unfair. Or do they want to trick good-natured and uninformed users and send them cease-and-desist letters?
Best regards, Anja

Speechless.....
As I understand it, she’s also sharing patterns....
...and she knows exactly what she’s doing—otherwise she wouldn’t disable the comments section... and the email address is a good clue as well...
  Plus, she definitely has a “wish list” for purchased patterns, although Birgit is right—sharing purchased patterns is prohibited... as is sharing patterns that were “given as gifts.”

I’d forward this whole thing to Josefa!!!! 

Yes, she’s also committing a crime, because she’s inciting a criminal act.
Are you affected? Then: Save evidence (screenshots, etc.) and file a report. Otherwise, nothing will happen anyway.

So this lady is “tired of the discussions.”
If she didn’t share paid patterns in the first place, there wouldn’t be any discussions.

There are already countless free patterns out there, and by sharing them, she’s harming the business.

Josefa can’t do anything about that.
Only the people involved themselves.

I also think Josefa has enough to do here.

You could always threaten the lady with a lawyer. 

This is a widespread problem. There are also WhatsApp groups where purchased patterns are shared.
By doing so, everyone involved is violating copyright law. Individual designers can take action against this by filing a criminal complaint with the police. Screenshots serve as evidence, especially those showing relevant details like names and file names.
I strongly advise actually filing a complaint.

Don’t just threaten. Follow through! Every new criminal complaint helps.

Wouldn’t it be better to discuss this topic in the Authors’ Forum?

Yes, because it’s an author-related issue.
On the other hand, there’s simply a lack of awareness that copyright infringement is a criminal offense that is actually severely punished. People who do this aren’t serious criminals in their everyday lives; I think they just feel very clever and don’t understand what they’re doing. 

I also think this isn’t just an issue for authors. Many people aren’t aware of “what it means” to pass on purchased patterns. This applies to friends and acquaintances, too. In our real-life knitting group, we never pass on patterns. But of course, we know where to get them—there’s no debate about that at all.... 

Has it ever occurred to you that this whole thing might just be a trial balloon? Because we had something like this in another forum years ago—there was a similar situation with “who wants, who doesn’t have this or that pattern yet, you can get it for free here and there.” It turned out to be a trap to see who obtains patterns illegally. Everyone who responded got such a telling-off that the walls shook. Personally, I’d be more than suspicious of an email like that—be careful who you trust; I wouldn’t trust anyone there.

Best, Inge

On the topic of “sharing patterns,” I have a practical question: If I buy a pattern I’ve already purchased again for a colleague, will it appear a second time on my list? (That would be pretty inconvenient, since my list is already a mile long…) Or do I have to refer my colleague directly to CP? I’d really appreciate an answer, since this is a current issue for me.

Regarding the case described above: If this is actually serious and not a trap, as Akela suggests, then one can really only shake one’s head… And linguistically, the writing isn’t exactly a masterpiece either…

That’s not an argument. Anyone who responds to this and downloads patterns for free—in other words, anyone who knowingly wants to deprive the authors of payment for their work—deserves a scolding. It’s a sneaky method, and I can’t condone it either, but the fact is, it worked. Precisely because there’s no sense of wrongdoing on that point.

Sure, they deserve a scolding; I’m just saying that many designers want to protect themselves from *poachers* like that, which is their right. If you don’t want to buy, you just have to sit down and design something yourself—that’s how I see it—but just taking it and then not even
wanting to pay is not just mean, it’s FRAUD!

Best, Inge

I agree—there’s time and effort that goes into it, not to mention the idea itself.
I once posted a beach photo of myself on a forum, with my hair all blown about by the storm. After a while, I found it on a travel agency’s website.
Somehow I have the feeling that people’s inhibitions have dropped noticeably since the internet came along. Not everyone dares to steal something directly from someone else, but just taking it off the internet like that is almost socially acceptable. Unfortunately. I think that’s total b...

I’ve removed the email address and link to the Facebook group from the first post above because publishing email addresses and external links isn’t allowed here.
I’ll forward the link to this thread to management. 

Theoretically, anyone can report a crime. If I catch a car thief, it doesn’t have to be my car. Unless the comparison is flawed in some legal sense.

Yes, of course, theoretically anyone can report a crime. But then they also have to be available as a witness for follow-up questions and possible trials, and their name and address will appear in the case files… depending on the situation, this information may be passed on to the defendant, etc… when push comes to shove, you might even need a lawyer yourself…
You have to be aware of that.
So it’s probably best for the victim to file the report.

Absolutely! And who’s had to do something like this so often that the inhibition threshold is low enough? That’s something that’s scary at first.

So, sharing patterns—even free ones!—is a criminal offense. Take screenshots and have a lawyer send a cease-and-desist letter.

Best regards, Sonja

I’d like to agree with CraftingCafe here. Free patterns are not fair game. Just because an author offers a pattern for free does not mean they lose all rights to their intellectual property. They still own those rights. At most, you may provide the source where the free pattern is available.

I’ve found another one of my patterns with original images from here posted on a different platform. Of course, it was translated and posted there in 2020. I’m now going to take action against anyone who shares, translates, or sells my patterns, etc.

My work, my time, and my passion go into every pattern, and I won’t put up with this anymore. 

I’ve contacted the site owner and proven that this is my pattern and that these are my product images. Effective immediately, anyone who doesn’t respect copyright will face serious consequences.

Likewise, starting now, I’ll be protecting my files and product images—both visibly and invisibly.

I’ve had more than enough of this!!!!!

Unfortunately, pirates like these are celebrated as heroes, while designers are vilified because they don’t offer their work for free.
It’s nothing more than shameless exploitation of people.

I think it would be great if we could discuss the topic of protecting the patterns in the forum—how to implement this technically, legally, etc. I think we’d all benefit from it. 

This morning I spotted one of my little bunnies in a Facebook group, and of course I was really happy—someone had crocheted something of mine and posted it.

But when I read the comments, I suddenly had doubts. How should I interpret this?

Did she just share the link and my name, or did she send the PDF?

I left a nice comment underneath saying that I’m the creator and included a link to the pattern.

But I believe that we can’t protect either our photos or our patterns. The only thing that might help is a lawsuit—if we can actually prove it.  

The way I read the comment, she definitely sent the PDF....
The question was “do you have the pattern,” not “where can I get it”...
...and I don’t even dare to just recreate something I’ve “seen” based on photos 🙈 I’ll buy the corresponding pattern instead, out of respect for the designer’s work... 

I agree with Woll-zauberei-Steffi.... “I’ll write to you sometime”—I’m almost certain she forwarded the patterns :-( 

I also think that the patterns were shared. As I’ve already written, there’s a lack of awareness that this is wrong. Usually, the argument that follows is that you can lend and resell books, and they’re available in libraries. But that’s something else. When you share something, you’re creating a copy that you’re passing on. And that’s also prohibited with books.