Copying Patterns

There's been quite a debate on the Swedish weaving Facebook pages about how no-one should copy a pattern but always buy them.  A few even went so far as to call anyone who did copy a pattern a thief.

I understand that the Swedish weaving pattern designers have copyrights on their work and only receive payment when the pattern is bought but it's unreasonable for them to expect someone isn't going to just copy a simple pattern instead of buying it.  No-one has bought more pattern books than I have but occasionally I see something very simple and just work it out on my own instead of buying the pattern.  To be called a thief for doing that makes me want to steer clear of groups which are way too militant.

We copy recipes, songs, posts, and heaven knows what.  If we get too stringent with rules that some people are insisting on then a lot of the fun has gone out of the group.  

I hope this blog remains friendly and informative...and it's free.