I have a question about copying parts of patterns or the patterns themselves. Now before I ask, I want to make it very clear that I am against copying patterns. I am pretty new to writing patterns, but I need to know what qualifies something as copied. Now obviously if the entire pattern is the same, it’s copied, but what if only part of the pattern is the same? For example, I have a pattern in my shop for a simple crochet beanie, but I looked online to make sure my pattern wasn’t too much like anyone else’s, and lo and behold, someone who had posted their pattern before mine, had something very similar. I didn’t copy their pattern, but it seems like I did. Do I have to take down my pattern because it’s too similar, and on comparing our patterns, have some steps that are the same? Also, with the bee patterns. There are so many of them so how do you know your pattern is different from the next persons? Like if pattern A has 12 rows and pattern B has 13 but every step is the same except the number of rows, does that count as copying someone’s pattern? What if person B didn’t know that person A’s pattern existed? Is that still copying? I am asking because I don’t want to copy someone’s pattern or part of someone’s pattern unknowingly, but most of my patterns come from reference ideas or are things that already exist. I am currently making a pattern for pants and I am using a reference photo for that. Is that copying? I don’t want to copy anyone’s work because that is really rude to the original creator.
Sorry this post is long, but I am worried about accidentally copying someone’s pattern or part of their pattern. I need to know what the rules on this so I never copy anyone’s pattern.
Look, with so many crochet patterns in existence it’s hard to make a compleatly unique pattern if it’s for something common. If a couple of your rounds or tequniques are the same, that is fine because it may be nessesary for that project to do that. For example, almost every amigarumi starts as a 6sc in Mr, 6 inc, sc, inc, 2sc, inc, ect, because it’s nessisary for that pattern. It’s not copying if you are using the same technique for crocheting something. I would say it is copying if you copied and ENTIRE SECTION EXACTLY. What I mean by this is every row and instruction is exactly identical for a portion of a pattern. If some of the rounds and instructions are the same but separated by unique rounds, then it’s good. But the key thing to remember is if you didn’t try to copy, it’s not copying because everything was your own idea, you just have the same techniques to make it. For example for cat eared Benies, the pattern is pretty much the same for each one because they have to use the same tequniqe to get it to look good. Sorry for being so long and I have misspelled a lot of things so ask if you can’t understand me. (All the misspellings that start with T and have a q is for technique)
all crochet beanies usually use about the same steps, so to me, unless you are copy and pasting a part of a pattern or an entire pattern made by someone else into your pattern and then claiming it as your own, it’s not stealing. when it comes to the bee pattern thing, if person b did not intentionally make their pattern very similar to person a or the same, and person b’s pattern has a few differences than person a’s, its not stealing. especially if person b didn’t even know person a’s pattern existed.
this whole thing on what counts as stealing is a huge reason why i like to try and make more unique patterns lol
I had the same worry with my pickle pencil friend pattern. While it was completely my own pattern it was inspired by a pattern by another creator. There were different techniques but one was the same and it was just how to make the buddy go around the pencil. I still sometimes think about it and wonder if it’s considered copying.
I think if it’s part of the pattern, especially an area that is pretty standard to the item category (amigurumi, hats, scarf etc), that it’s not copied. Like above, like 90% of amigurumi with something like MC/MR 6 (or 8), Inc around, sc1 then inc. So it’s pretty standard start and bulk of that type of item and nearly impossible to avoid. Now if you’re making a hat/beanie and it copies color/style, type of stitch then I’d say it’s borderline copied. Because it’d be pretty suspicious to have 2 similar decorative pattern and unique stitch (puff stitch, alpine stitch, etc) if that makes sense?
I say it’s fine if you do it accidentally. If you take inspiration from a pattern, credit the owner of that pattern as inspo. It is not okay to directly take things from patterns and put it in yours on purpose. For the bees, there has to be hundreds of bee patterns by now. If you are not directly copying, you should be fine. For your beanie, I would say you’re okay, you didn’t take inspiration or purposefully take directions from that pattern. With art (specifically digital) copying/tracing counts even if it’s only in one tiny spot. You may trace for learning reasons, but you don’t post or sell the traced art. Hope this makes sense!
Side note: This is my opinoin, if you feel like this is wrong, you may educate me why privately.
With something as simple as a beanie, you’re totally fine!!! With so many patterns of beanies, bees, bunnies, ect, it’s hard to make something like that completely original. I’d say generally, if you didn’t realize a similar pattern existed until AFTER you made yours, it’s totally fine. However, if you knew it existed, looked at it, and took directly from that other pattern, then posted it as your own, I’d say that’s 100% copying
if your just using a reference photo as like a guide, i don’t think that’s copying, bc i take pictures off pinterest and ribblr sometimes to try to make my own. and maybe yours just happens to be the same or similar, but i feel like if you didn’t actually look at the pattern it self and just the picture, it’s not direct copying. now if it does end up looking almost too similar, i would add something special or unique to the pattern just to make yours, and that way if you post the pattern it may look different from everyone else’s.
