A discussion on copyright.

Copyright

As far as copyright goes, I’m pretty sure that if you give a pattern for publication in the Guild magazine you are effectively allowing that pattern to be reproduced by guild members. The copyright always stays with you but not the commercial advantage. Since the patterns would be sold or distributed to guild members it is the same as when the patterns given to the magazine originally, hence the copyright issue is non-existent. The early issues are ‘out of print’ which means that different copyright issues apply. If someone has donated a pattern to the guild from a book, which they are selling then the guild can acknowledge this and give ‘free’ advertising for the book to newer members.

In fact, I can photocopy one pattern from each magazine and pass it onto another member without being in breach of copyright.  ** As I understand, the Copyright Act – one can make a copy “for one’s own personal use” this in no way gives you the right to make a copy for friends.  For sale or otherwise – that is a breach of copyright. **

If however I photocopy the patterns and then sell them for a profit then I am.
If people are worried about the ‘selling’ aspect the Guild could decide to donate all profits of such a sale to a specific cause within the guild eg workshops for isolated groups or support a charity eg Ovarian Cancer.
The catchword here is profits.

If the Guild distributes the patterns, at cost then no problems. (No, profit no financial gain). I think that the issue carries people away.  ** The selling aspect is only a part of the Copyright Act issue.  It would not matter whom you “give” the money.  If you are making a copy of a reprinted pattern/article “without permission” in the first place, you are leaving yourself wide open.  **
All patterns acknowledged as the work of the person who originally gave the pattern to the guild, so the intellectual property is acknowledged. ** Ignoring the issue will not make it go away.  While acknowledgement of where the pattern comes from may be printed in the issue, if the pattern came from a published source and was not submitted by the original author, it should also carry with it a “Reprinted with permission from …” statement – and such permission sought at least by the person who submitted it.  **
Copyright is there to protect intellectual property NOT to prevent sharing of resources.  ** It would be in the best interest of each state Guild and the Librarian to have a copyright declaration/article request form that is duly signed each time a photocopy/scan is produced and sent out to members.  It would also be in the best interest of each state Guild to pay for the Librarian or other appropriate person to attend the courses put on by the Copyright Council.  **
There is a difference. ** Yes, copyright is there to protect intellectual property.  Fair dealing is accepted, blatant copying and “sharing” is not.  **