Housekeeping – copyright issues

Books by Yvette Stanton

Writing books about embroidery is my livelihood. This is how I work to pay my bills. I work to support my family by doing this. I create books, illustrations, photos, diagrams, text and more that are my intellectual property.

Each of my books has a copyright statement in the front. It boils down to this: This is my work and you cannot reproduce it in any form without prior permission from me/my publisher (that’s me), in writing.

No one is allowed to photocopy pages from my books to use in their own classes. No one is allowed to copy my stitch instructions to teach anyone else (that includes photocopying, scanning, videoing and more). No one is allowed to make copies to give to their friends. No one is allowed to copy and sell instructions that come from my books.

If you do, you are breaching the laws of copyright. Even if you don’t care for the law, you are also breaking trust with me. You are stopping me from earning from my books, because you’re giving away my intellectual property for free or even making people pay you for it!

If a class all uses one copy of a book to learn one of my projects, you are also stopping me from earning from my books. Each student or participant should own their own copy.

Otherwise it’s stealing. Pure and simple.

Maybe you think I’m being greedy by saying this. I’m not being greedy. I deserve to be paid for work done.

If you go to the supermarket, you have to pay for the goods you leave with. If a plumber does work for you, you have to pay the plumber. Why do people think that taking from authors and designers is any different? We deserve to be paid for our work.

I have, just today, learned of a huge breach of trust with regards to copyright. I am really upset. I am completely gobsmacked. I am simply reeling.

Just don’t do it. To me or anyone else. It’s stealing.