copyrignt

She may have spoken with the original designer first. This, btw, is the proper way to deal a situation like this. Just ask the originator their feelings on the matter.

Also, "just changing a few beads" is not good enough...but again you come back to the issue of whether someone has the finances to deal with stopping the copier.

The magazines are now finding themselves in a position where they cannot police the submits. It is really up to each of us an individuals to learn the bounderies, and to learn to contact the originators.

Beki

All I can say is that if someone is aware of copying or imitating, it is morally wrong. It's pretty much OK to do that for one piece of work for your own use. We all know that more than that is wrong to do. I also know that I (personally)might see something and decide to "make one just like that", and I will end up with a work that has some elements the same but really is an original work. Like you say, how many things are there left that haven't been done.

We all know when we cross the line. If we knowingly do that, we have probably crossed the legal lines as well.

Tina

I bought a Water Color Magic magazine the other day. I thought it was interesting that the author of one of the articles said up front that it was OK to copy the paintings in the mag, in fact she thought it was the best way to learn because you can copy the brush strokes, color choices, techniques, etc. and learn from them. BUT she said these paintings were to be considered as practice paintings only, and not to be sold as original art.

When you're making jewelry, a lot of the designs have been done over and over, it's your color choices, texture, placement that make the piece unique.

Of course, as we've said before, it is definitely wrong, immoral, and illegal to slavishly copy someone else's design and either sell it under their name or claim that the design is your own.

And the bad thing about the good news that the interest in beading has exploded is that it's pretty darn hard to find something that someone somewhere hasn't done before.

hehehe..I love that word! I may need to "copy" it. ;o)

Beki