[Oa] Respect

[Andrew Crawford]

Greetings All,

I just want to review briefly about artists' rights, copyright, and list
rules.  Note that this is not specifically in response to any recent
postings.  It just seemed like a good time to make this explicit.

OA artists work hard to create new patterns.  They design, prototype,
and refine over and over again to get it just right.  We enjoy their
work and, rejoice in its beauty.

Most OA artists give away *some* of their work for personal use.  Many
of them also *sell* (license) some of their patterns or work (typically
in books, as digital collections, or as cards).  It is their work and it
is their right to decide what to do with it and how it is used.

Moreover, it is currently very difficult to make any significant income
from designing OA patterns.  Commercial cards are difficult and
expensive to produce, which leads to very few actual jobs for OA designers.

OA artists deserve every penny they ask for when you want to use their
patterns.  We want to encourage them to keep making new OA in every way
we can, including financial.  Every major world government agrees and,
there are international treaties to protect the work of artists.

Everyone here should also be aware that most of the OA artists are
subscribers to this list.  They may not post but, do not doubt that they
notice when you mention their work.

On a personal note, I have received (and deleted) collections of
patterns sent unsolicited that were protected by copyright and currently
commercially available.

With that in mind:

- Please do not post any patterns or links to patterns to the list
unless (1) you (the poster) designed the pattern or, (2) the person who
designed the pattern has provided explicit permission for you to do so.

- For patterns that are in collections that are out-of-print and not
easily available used - patterns that are not currently available from
any legitimate source - it is probably reasonable (according to fair use
laws) to request a copy of a pattern (but not an entire collection).  I
am not a lawyer and, laws in different countries may vary - so don't
quote me on this.  Any responses to such requests should take place in
direct, private email between individuals, not on the list.

Lest this be misunderstood as a response to Ken's post earlier today: if
I am understanding correctly, Ken was asking if anyone who had
*purchased* Marivi's CDs would be willing to sell him the *original* CDs
(and not keep a copy for themselves).  This is typically okay, though I
do not know the specifics of the license agreement that purchasers
agreed to when they bought the CDs from Marivi.

Thank you for your attention and cooperation.

Andrew Crawford
(Your OA List Administrator)