(I don’t know if Ribblr has this already, but if it doesn’t that it would be so much easier for markets!)
most people just put something in the pattern description like ‘can be sold as long as I am credited) but sometimes you have to read a TON of stuff just to get to that part!
What if you could click a button on a pattern upon releasing it that adds it to a public list of patterns (products OF the pattern, not the pattern itself) that can be sold at markets, with a filter, price range and search!
There could be icons on the patterns on the list that might look like an @ that symbolizes whether the sold product should be tagged with the creators user name!
let me know if you like this idea
(I won’t tag Ribblr in case there’s consequences I don’t know about)
Crediting the designer is a courtesy and is mostly referring to online sales since markets are for buying items, not patterns. You should be doing it even if the designer doesn’t specifically ask you to do it.
All items can be sold at markets (in the US) unless it is a copyrighted character (Disney, Pokémon, etc). Then you have to obtain a license to sell from the copyright holder.
well, some people don’t want their patterns sold, and sometimes they forget to let the customers or pattern makers know before releasing.
And some would like people to ask before going ahead with selling them, because maybe they have specific terms or requirements needed to sell the product of their patterns.
I think a list would be very open to making sure all creators needs are met.
And as German Canadian, I know that lots of people in Canada and other countries need a little more assurance that they can trust the person to sell the products of the pattern without claiming ownership or modding the pattern.
I believe a list could be better in terms of selling products from other’s patterns because it would help avoid drama online or in real life.
There’s tons of creators as an example of this on Ribblr and Etsy and other online platforms.
In the US, they legally cannot tell you not to sell items you make and you don’t need to ask permission. The only thing they can tell you not to sell is the pattern itself.
Maybe a label that states the designer requests items made from the pattern not to be sold. Then people will know not to purchase if they have to honor that request in their country.
Some pattern designers need some way to contact the maker and/or someone who knows the maker in order to get ahold of them if any requirements or terms are broken or ignored.
Some pattern designers are just happy to see their patterns in the arms of others and don’t really care if they are credited.
Like I said, this will be help the maker and designer more open to how they sell and make products.
I could write a whole essay on why a list would be good to avoid drama.
And what if someone finds some sort of character and proceeds to sell the product without realizing it’s copyrighted? A list would help avoid that.
And if someone puts that in the description, I do find not a ton of people look at the descriptions of the pattern, even if the terms are within the pattern’s margins, where creators are more likely to see them.
In the US, it’s illegal to tell makers not to sell the products of the patterns they make? Even if the pattern makers are well-aware of stranger-danger?
That seems like a ridiculous law. Why would that even be in place?
Well, what if the designer needs the money they earn from their patterns? If people refuse to buy patterns because the designer just doesn’t want their property stolen, then the designers lose money. It’s unfair to the creators, even if they are just telling someone no.
And who says they will respect the designers wishes? When I went to my first market in LA, just to see how different sellers are there than in Canada, I recognized so many patterns that creators had not authorized to be sold to anybody, and none of the patterns had been credited of their designer.
And if that law is in place, does that mean someone could buy anything from anybody, and just sell it for a higher price like Traders in the Renaissance?
It would be unfair to the creators if their product made someone else rich while they lay in the dirt, trying to provide for their friends and family.
Let me rephrase. They have no legal right to tell you not to sell something you made with your own materials and time. You cannot sell the pattern itself but they can’t sue you for selling the item. You would have to get your character trademarked/copyrighted in order to take legal action.
My point was that every pattern except those of copyrighted characters would be on that list. A list of people who don’t want you to sell your hard work would be helpful so people can avoid those designers.
Also, a lot of people who are illegally selling patterns of copyrighted items give people permission to sell which they do not have the authority to do.
Like I said, some people need assurance, because they probably spent more money, more time, and more materials in order to make that pattern.
If someone sells a pattern that someone doesn’t sold, then that wish should be obeyed. Products of Patterns can still be used for personal use, like gifts or other ways that don’t involve the designer being ignored, or even harassed just because they wanted their pattern used by their terms and not by the maker’s.
I never said those patterns were copyrighted. Some were regular but unique patterns that the creator was proud to share. Just because a pattern wasn’t copyrighted or patented, it doesn’t mean it can be sold against the wishes of the creator. If the creator doesn’t want pattern products sold, then they shouldn’t be sold.
I have walked through quite a few markets and so have my friends. We have seen markets in Vancouver, LA, Phoenix, Paris, Tokyo and so many other cities. More than half the times creators aren’t credited, and tons of creators have bragged that they owned the patterns. Some even let loose that they had sold copies of the pattern against the creators wishes.
I cannot count how many times I have seen a news story about this sort of thing, either.
Makers should respect creators, even in their own countries.
If people don’t want their pattern products sold, don’t sell them.
That is why a small list of designers who don’t want items being sold would be better becasue it isn’t common. Most designers don’t restrict sales.
Maybe a wiki of patterns you have used and the price point you have sold them at could be made. That way other people could add to it and you could compare. Just a thought.
