Craft: transforming traditional crafts

If anybody wants it. I've got a yellow submarine bath tub to go with this shower curtain. I've been too afraid to use it, ever since the periscope incident ;)

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re: copyright If it were my image that had been used for this, I'd be tickled pink; had multiple versions been put up for sale, I'd expect a cut. Enjoy your shower curtain in good health, mpower4.

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In addition, documentary use of copyrighted images is, indeed, fair use. Photographing the shower curtain in order to document it or it's creation would and should not be considered infringement of copyright. If the maker were selling the copyrighted images that were used, or creating patterns out of them and selling or offering them for use, that'd be infringement, but simply showing the curtain and explaining how it was made is not.

We have too many encroachments on fair use as it is without it showing up in something as simple as shower curtain photos. Those who are concerned ought to be concerned with how big companies like Disney are trying to do away with fair use altogether and how warnings like this play right into their plan.

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A couple quick things...

1. Don't let your creativity be hindered because you are afraid of a lawsuit. You can use copyrighted material in many circumstances. Being a Beatles fan and creating your own Yellow Submarine shower curtain does not equal piracy. Read up on the fair use provisions - http://fairuse.stanford.edu/Copyright_and_Fair_Use_Overview/chapter9/index.html - they little known and very valuable.

2. For the sake of argument, say this project was in violation of Peter Max's (or whoever owns the work) copyright (which is highly debatable). The odds of them taking the time to sue someone who made a shower curtain seems pretty unlikely.

3. This is just a thought to consider regarding craft and copyright... The history of "craft" is a history of traditions passed on from one to another for generations. The knowledge of knitting, sewing, music, and so many other things, the styles that developed and so on - these things were (luckily) never protected by copyright. Because this knowledge was free, we have the rich traditions we build on today. Could copyrighting your craft project be an affront to that tradition?

-Steve Lambert
(full disclosure - I am a Fellow in the OpenLab at Eyebeam, where everything we make is in the public domain)

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I'd like to clarify my previous comment. I doubt anyone would get sued if they took a picture from a book, magazine, or other source, and made something out of it in their home. There would be no way to police that. I think the issue here is that she posted it online, and therefore exposing her work to the public. I think there are many items on this very website that would infringe on a copyright if you argued about it enough.

It's a very gray area, but worth debating if it saves a crafter from a lawsuit.

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I believe it's common knowledge who created the art for Yellow Submarine. That point aside, her use would be considered "Fair Use".

http://www.whatiscopyright.org/

http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/cr_resources_businesses/article/0,1789,HGTV_3310_1371262,00.html

There is a good discussion of this subject at Craftster.org:

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=2428.0

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No, it's not OK to use someone else's work---and then photograph it, post it, and call it an original project without ever crediting the artist who created the images that were stolen. That's like saying it's OK to walk into someone's living room and walk off with their television, as long as it's for personal use.

Copyright means right to copy. This person didn't have that right.

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It's OK to use another artist's work, as long as it's for your own personal use, and you are not profiting off of it.

I have a Yellow Sub bathroom, and this would be the perfect project for me! Very nice.

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I read the post, and it concerns me that the instructions start with "I found these images online and blew them up". These images from Yellow Submarine are copyrighted and covered by a license agreement. Please don't encourange your readers to help themselves to some other artist's work like this! It's illegal, and it's just plain wrong.

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