NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #27/NN_1992_27.iso/spool/rec/crafts/textiles/2171

Text File | 1992-11-20 | 1.2 KB | 26 lines

Newsgroups: rec.crafts.textiles
Path: sparky!uunet!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!saimiri.primate.wisc.edu!ames!sun-barr!cs.utexas.edu!torn!csd.unb.ca!news.ucs.mun.ca!kean.ucs.mun.ca!pmorgan
From: [e-mail]
Subject: RE: Stitchery Legal Question
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Organization: Memorial University. St.John's Nfld, Canada
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 19:04:38 GMT

I can't say for certain about American copyright law, although I suspect
it is very close to Canadian in this regard:
Copyright lasts for the life of the author/creator plus fifty years, and
then the item falls into public domain.  This is for print material (i.e.
books and magazines, and I would suspect, printed patterns.)  To my mind,
and this is by no means a legal interpretation, a painting which had been
done by an artist who had been dead for over fifty years would be public
domain and you would be free to adapt the painting into your own pattern.
I believe you would also then be free to copyright the PATTERN, but not
the painting.

Pam Morgan
Health Sciences Library
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Canada