Monday, January 14, 2013

Sad For Designers

I try not to post negative or depressing information here or anywhere on the internet for that matter, but I just had to write a little something for myself and for so many other designers out there. I spent most of the evening looking at pages and pages of stolen pictures and patterns (with instant PDF Downloads!) on a website that has members who are happy about stealing and sharing designer patterns. After they upload our designs, they seemed thrilled to get comments and replies that read things like;  "thanks for sharing", "great pattern", "love that designer".  What surprises me most about the stolen patterns is most of them even list the designers and copyright information, so the ones downloading the patterns are just as guilty as the ones who posted them.

I could go on and on about this subject, but sadly there will always be a few who try to get something for nothing no matter the consequences. Sad...

With all that said, please keep in mind that if you see a designer's pattern on a website that you know they are not associated with, please don't purchase it or download it thinking it's some kind of freebie. It's stealing, plain and simple.

My patterns are available on: my website: http://www.tericrewsdesigns.com, Ravelry, Craftsy, Etsy, Annie's Attic and Elgin Knit Works, anywhere else you see them without me sending out a notice or posting it here has probably been stolen and is being used illegally. Besides patterns being offered for free, they are often used on fake websites with "buy now" buttons. These sites want your credit card information and your money.

Thanks for letting me vent. Sorry to have to have said it.

Copyright Information
Teri Crews Designs ©


Pattern(s) and Photos by Teri Crews may not be shared, altered, or sold. Copies may be made for purchaser use only. Feel free to sell your finished items. Do not use "Teri Crews" or "Teri Crews Designs" in the name of your toy, but you may use, "pattern designed by Teri Crews"






5 comments:

  1. je suis tres heureuse de la commande que je viens de recevoir.
    Je trouve superbe votre travail.
    Ne vous arretez pas de créer à cause de ces voleurs décourageants car il y a des gens comme moi qui admire votre travail !
    Merci

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  2. sorry to hear about this Teri, be assured I always check the credentials of all the patterns I use. I am so grateful to people like you who spend their time painstakingly making these patterns,I so admire you. I discovered you via Ravelry with you cute little dog pattern - have just the legs and tail to go now - such fun!

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  3. Can't thank you enough, I really appreciate it and definitely love making them.

    Happy crocheting,
    Teri

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  4. I'm somewhat new to crochet and get a lot of patterns I use online, I use Ravelry a lot and have found many Blogs like yours. I do search and mainly use free patterns because just can't afford a lot and I crochet out of love everything I have made has been a gift for someone. I have purchased a few patterns I just had to have. Anyway I would never intentionally download a stolen pattern and I pray I haven't downloaded any without realizing it was stolen. Could you please tell me what to watch for so I can be sure I am not getting a pattern that has been stolen. I really appericaite the free patterns that you and others have put out there for us but I know not all patterns are free and I want to honor that too. Please help me and others like me who don't have clue about this kind of stuff.

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  5. Bonnie thank you so much for writing and for asking. We (designers) definitely appreciate your honesty. This is exactly why, I try to give away a free pattern at least once a month. I love crocheting and free patterns are a great way to experiment with new things. I guess my best advice for telling whether or not a pattern copyright has been violated would be to know where you are getting the pattern from. If you download them from places like Craftsy and Ravelry where you know the designer sells and has listed their free patterns you know you are getting them directly from the designer as a "gift". If you download patterns from a site where a buyer or site user has uploaded it, it's probably a copyright violation. For example if you went to the library, copied patterns and then put them on a website to share with your friends. This is wrong, no matter how you look at it, it's stealing. Even if you are not the one who posted it, taking it is just as bad. Hope this helps a little. Thank you again.

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