ALL content of the
EbearZ University is a copyright of Kran-Beary's Teddy Bears &
North Country Teddy Bears 2002-2006. All rights are reserved.
Permission is granted for personal use of the pattern and
information only. No reproduction or publication, whether manually
or electronically of the information, patterns, graphics, photos or
content contained herein is permitted. No copying or sale of the
pattern or finished product is permitted without written consent
from the author of the workshop AND the administration of North
Country Teddy Bears. Violations will be prosecuted.
"Ya, ya, ya, blah blah blah," you say. Perhaps you didn't
even bother reading the above statement. Perhaps you've never
looked at our full Copyright and User Terms.
We suggest that you read them now, as every
time you log into one of our workshops you agree to abide by them.
Copyright info like what is printed above is so often overlooked
in the world of arts and crafts. Who's going to catch you anyway?
Or, just to be safe, maybe I'll change the pattern a little, and
then I'll call it an original design. That should be ok, right?
WRONG!
Read on...
A copyright gives the author of a work, exclusive rights for a limited
period of time, over his efforts, to prevent others from taking the work and
using it dishonestly. A copyright does not require any formality to exist.
It is an automatic right of the author. A copyright exists if the author's
name appears with the work. (Canadian Copyright Act Sec 53, 2.2) Using
someone else's work without their permission, or signing your name to it, is
called a copyright infringement, and is an offence by law. Sometimes an
author will give up their copyright, and allow others to reproduce their
designs, most often for personal use. Using these designs then is not an
offence, but it also does not make the work original.
What if you take a pattern from a book or workshop and resize it, and
then change the type of fur used, and the color of the eyes? Is it now
original? No. The copyright act refers to this as a 'colorable
imitation.' or, a work in which a person attempts to pass off as new,
that which is only a reproduction of a substantial part of another work,
by making alterations to the original. A colorable imitation, is an
attempt to deceive others into thinking that the work is original, by
making minor changes. Camouflaging, or modifying some one else's work
and signing your name to it, therefore is clearly an illegal deception.
In English please? You may NOT copy, change, alter or tamper with the
pattern or information in this workshop in any way and call it your own
creation. You may NOT distribute the information in any way,
either physically or electronically without written permission. This
includes password and user name information. It originated here at the U
and will need our permission to be used anywhere else, except for your
own personal use. That means you can make as many bears as you like to
give as gifts, but you may not sell your bears. You may not copy the
information herein and teach your own workshops. Let your conscience be
your guide and if you have any questions, please ask us. Nancy is always
happy to respond in a helpful manner.
The fines provided by the courts are up to $1,000,000 and 5 year in
prison upon conviction by indictment. Most countries around the world,
follow the same copyright laws. Copyright infringement will also
result in immediate suspension from the use of the EbearZ classes,
including suspension from registered classes without refund.
That's BIG BUCKS and a lot of stress!
In plain English, copyright infringement is theft. Both literally and morally
it is wrong. It doesn't matter to the courts if you steal a chocolate bar, a car
or someone else's design; theft is theft. A copyright by the way, does not need
to be registered. A registered copyright just makes it easier to prove in court
that the work belongs to the author.
Want to know more about copyright law? Look for more information in an
upcoming workshop called "The Business of Bears." here at the e-BearZ
University.
|
