Wednesday, October 17, 2007

The math is simply SCARY!

Cross posted from my Multiply site...

One designer posted a link on a Picasa site for us to check out to make sure that our work wasn’t being abused or shared illegally. I spent about 40 minutes there (when I really should have been working on the kits for Toronto or the illustrations for the author I meet with on Friday) and picked 20 users at random to visit. Between them, they had 1,755 albums of illegal scans of patterns for everything from cross stitch and needlework to crochet, knitting, felting, tole painting etc.

Just 20 people had more than 10,000 illegal images there to share with others! It made me wonder why anyone would ever pay money for a pattern when there are more designs out there illegally than any stitcher could complete in 8 lifetimes!?

But if it is going to be so easy to steal and share a design, why would any new designer go into this as even a second job? If there are no new designers creating the next trends and exciting designs... won’t stitchers get bored?

I still just don’t get what the appeal of doing this is...
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5 comments:

andi said...

"t made me wonder why anyone would ever pay money for a pattern when there are more designs out there illegally than any stitcher could complete in 8 lifetimes!?"

Because some of us realize the time, love, commitment and concern designers put into their designs and think that not paying for them is somewhere beyond wrong.


"But if it is going to be so easy to steal and share a design, why would any new designer go into this as even a second job?"

I Can't answer that one, but I am glad folks do.



If there are no new designers creating the next trends and exciting designs... won’t stitchers get bored?

yes, they would.


I am sorry folks do this too you. It hurts to have it happen to folks that make our worlds so much more gentle and beautiful...I can't imagine what you fell. Just please know that some of us do care, and do try to keep it from happening.

It also begs the question why don't some designers seem to care if this is going on...even after several reports?

And how do you, personally, feel about the concept of "working copies"?

10:28 PM
Erica said...

I'm sorry that for every 10 fires you put out, 30000000 more pop up. I have never understood this rampant need to steal patterns, nor have I understood people's 'justifications' for doing it.

Patterns are cheap! Why bother stealing them? Belly up to the bar and buy it - it's the cheapest part of the project!

Some people are such idiots.

Don't let it get to you Jennifer, as hard as that is.

12:38 AM
Lori said...

I don't understand why these people who post illegal copies even bother. They must have alot of time on thier hands, and for what?...I don't think they are making any profit from putting them up, are they?

DOH! Now I have to blog about a recent experience I had with someone who wanted to make money on "pattern maker's" site. lol

12:41 PM
Lori said...

Oh, forgot to mention that my test came back A-OK...yay!!

12:42 PM
jymisgurl said...

i can tell you why some (I would hope most) still but them when they coudl download them for free. Because they know it's the right thing to do! Hugs!

1:20 PM

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