I didn’t mean to affend anyone I just thought it would be a nice idea
2 Likes
I’m sorry! You’re not offending me! I thought it was a really great idea too, and I actually really wanted to participate, but I’m just kind of scared that I would get in trouble or something.
2 Likes
What do tou mean
It’s still copyright infringement if you’re taking someone else’s designs (in this case the artwork) and using it for your own gain (a pattern which leads to sales and followers— a type of profit) and the artist who made the original work won’t see any benefit from it.
4 Likes
I was just doing some research about whether or not it’s legal to make Pokemon crochet patterns, and most things say that it isn’t because of copyright infringement. A lot of crocheters make them anyways, but that doesn’t mean that it’s okay. You could technically get sued or have your shop taken down. Honestly, the pokemon company probably wouldn’t find out about it, but just letting you know that there might be some risk.
1 Like
Ok I see your point i may just close this particular collab and think of another one instead
it doesn’t matter if you claim them as your own or not, or if you’re a minor, it is still copyright infringement UNLESS you have explicit permission from nintendo.
3 Likes
is 15 a minor?
1 Like
yes, anything under 18 is a minor.
1 Like
Ok I’ll close the collab for the best
@Leaders please could you close this
1 Like
hi hi!! obligatory disclaimer that i’m not a lawyer, nor do i have an education in law, but i wanted to weigh in a bit on this based on research i’ve done. i also don’t want to be annoying or ruin the fun for anyone, but there are real concerns regarding copyright and infringement and stuff, so i just wanted to say it to put the points out there. again, anyone can feel free to do what they want as long as they are educated on the potential risks, so definitely feel free to ignore anything i say about it!
so from what i’ve researched:
1. you can still violate copyright laws even if you make a pattern free
- copyright law doesn’t require you to make money for it to be infringement. the main issue is that the work uses someone else’s protected characters or designs without permission. pokemon designs are copyrighted, so creating or distributing patterns based on those exact characters is technically derivative work which is where the problem lies.
2. trademarks are a bit different than copyright but still cause an issue here
- pokemon names and designs are also trademarked. even calling something an “eevee” pattern, or something similar like a fox or cat, can raise trademark issues, especially when you might be able to make money from it
3. minors are not exempt from copyright law
- it’s not true that nintendo (or any company for that matter) won’t sue minors. infringement is infringement regardless of how old you are — minors can be sued (though it’s uncommon), and in many cases parents/guardians can be held liable. so age doesn’t provide legal protection.
4. companies don’t always sue, but they do issue takedowns.
- a cease and desist, DMCA takedown, or account removal is way more common than a lawsuit. platforms including ribblr, etsy, and ravelry regularly remove copyrighted character patterns when reported. even free patterns get taken down all the time. one recent example i can think of is hooknhaven’s “blue hedgehog” pattern. because it used sonic the hedgehog’s likeness, she got in trouble with sega and had to take it down. i actually have a screenshot from the day she originally posted about it that i included below.
again, im not trying to be annoying or scare anyone into never making anything ever again, but it’s definitely something to keep in mind if you will be sharing a pattern or any sort, whether free or paid.
16 Likes