[Woodcarver] Copyrights

[Ivan Whillock]

Some have the mistaken notion that buying the book gives them rights to do anything they want with it.  That is not true.The copyright notice specifies what you are buying when you purchase a book. The author legally owns all rights and often "sells" you some of those rights for the price of  the book.   It varies somewhat between authors, but in general most notices allow you to make carvings from the patterns but not to reproduce the patterns for other than personal use. That makes sense, because allowing people to reproduce the patterns and sell them or even give them away would cut out an incentive to buy the book, interfering with the author's right to profit from his effort.

 When you buy a book, it is good to check the copyright notice to see what rights you are actually buying.  Although it is rare, I've seen some books where the author shows patterns as examples but doesn't want the readers to use them even for their own work.  An author may show a pattern as an example of how one is made, and expects the readers then to make their own patterns following that example, but not to use the pattern itself. You can't assume, then, that when you buy a book that you are automatically buying the right to copy the patterns--even for your own use.  Again, on purchasing a book, check the copyright notice to see what rights you are also buying.  If you can't accept the limitations the author is putting on the use of the book, don't buy the book.



----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Bonnie Schroeder 
  To: woodcarver at six.pairlist.net 
  Sent: Friday, November 04, 2005 11:23 PM
  Subject: [Woodcarver] Copyrights


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  Does anyone have info regarding copyright laws?  I know that when you purchase carving patterns, you are then licenced to use the pattern and sell your work.  But what about if you use someone's painting or photograph as inspiration for a relief carving?  


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