Sunday, April 19, 2015

The Copyright question?

Amongst my other projects I did dig into the purple bag again for some scraps to make the next of the RSC15 blocks, this one Broken Sugar Dish.

I went for an early birthday brunch today to Glenora Bistro with my daughter, son and DIL and grandchildren. I showed the following picture to my 11 year old grandson and said I thought this would make a great quilt. He asked, "what about copyright?" So here is my question: what 11 year old asks such a thing, and can I make a quilt inspired by this painting? I cannot show it and accept a prize. I cannot sell it. Am I on the correct path here? Because I really want to use my stack of yellow string blocks for the background and free style the poppies. Already I have a name for it: Bistro Poppies.

To have at other purple loveliness while you ponder my question, please head over to SoScrappy.
Hugs
Kathy

9 comments:

  1. (I could be wrong, but...) I thought that as long as you credit the artist for the inspiration you could make a quilt from whatever you wanted. It seems like showing it should be fine. However, the prize and selling the quilt??? Not so sure about that!

    Interesting that your 11 y.o. grandson was concerned about copyright.

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  2. i would love to know all the ins and outs

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  3. You can make that quilt! (It sounds awesome, by the way.) The painting is an inspiration, and a quilt is not a copy of it. You could even enter it in a show or sell it. You can write about it, draw it, or photograph it. What you cannot do is paint an exact copy of the painting and sell it as the actual painting by the same artist. (Interestingly, you could paint it and sell it as a "reproduction" if the painter has died, and sometimes if he or she has not. Ask all those art students set up in museums copying famous paintings even though the gift shop sells prints of those very same paintings!) Check here for more information: http://www.bitlaw.com/copyright/ Notice that it says that anyone may legally copy the ideas contained within a work.

    I think your grandson has a future as a patent attorney! Can't wait to see Bistro Poppies!

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    1. Mari, thank you so much for your thorough response. I did construct the background last night. I have a stack of yellow string blocks to lay down as my foundation. The next few days should see the application of some "poppies" in reds and red-oranges. I am so excited about this one. Well all my quilts really.

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  4. It's a beautiful painting and lends itself to re-interpretation in textile art. Mari sounds very authoritive, so I'll take her word for it. I understand that if it had been a quilt and you copied it you could be in trouble. But it isn't!
    Good luck making it. I hope you show it to us when it's finished.

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    1. I'm not surprised a 10 year old knows about copyright with all the discussion about ripping software nowadays: books, music, films, even quilt patterns. A sign of the times.

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  5. I really like your block. So interesting to read the replies. Great question!

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  6. Lots of pretty purples in your star block. Your idea for a quilt inspired by the painting sounds wonderful.

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